That Freelance Kid
by Maybud
Summary: Taken from the kink meme: "I totally have an idea where Klavier and Ema are an unhappily married celebrity couple on the verge of divorce (with or without kids, your choice, man) and Apollo, a free-lance romance novelist gets paid or something to sorta monitor them and learn more about imperfect and realistic love for his writing."
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: So I started working on this prompt for the kink meme almost two years ago...and it's still in progress, haha. A lot has happened in my life this past year, and sadly writing was pushed to the side. Not to mention I've developed a severe lack of confidence in the past year as well *sigh* Anyway, enough whining from me. Please enjoy the story! Critique is welcome. _**

It was the same old scene, over and over again.

The night was young, but then again, the night was always considered young in Hollywood. The weather was cool, a slight breeze sifting through the air. The moon was high in the sky, illuminating the street along with the neon lights of clubs. Around every corner music could be heard, whether new songs from upcoming artists or classic hits from old time goodies.

From the balcony, Ema could hear everything, including the music coming inside the club she was at. It wasn't just any club, though, but one of those clubs only the rich and famous frequented, but which everyone knew about. Ema looked down at the street, and watched the cars pass by while sipping from a glass of champagne. All the music she heard began to mesh together, and made a cacophony of noise. She took two long swallows from her glass, hoping that if she drank enough she'd stop hearing it.

_What am I even doing here?_ _I don't belong in a place like this..._But she never really had to ask. Of course she knew why she was there. Because she was Ema Gavin, wife of the acclaimed rock star Klavier Gavin. Though that didn't explain why her feeling of not being welcome never seemed to leave. She could vaguely remember a time where these parties were fun, when she actually enjoyed herself. Now, it seemed as she were only being dragged along to be displayed-a trophy wife. Though her displayer never seemed to be around anymore to "show her off". He would run off the minute they set foot in the building, possibly off building his social status.

Then again, that didn't make much sense to her either. If he really wanted to social networking, he would've taken her to more high-class clubs. The clubs they had been going to recently were expensive, yes, but not exactly the most reputable joints in town. Ema sighed, and set down her drink down on the railing. Just thinking about it made her depressed. She wanted to go home. Hell, she didn't even care if she went home. She just wanted to get out of here. Despite the expansive size of the nightclub, she was starring to feel suffocated.

Ema walked back inside. There weren't too many people on the second story, since it wasn't really for dancing anyway. The floor was carpeted, and all around the room were lush couches and cushions, and an expensive cooler full of wine. The lights in here were dimmed, and the music wasn't as loud, sparing Ema a headache. Almost immediately, Ema saw someone very familiar. His hair was phallic enough to catch _anyone's_ attention immediately.

"Daryan!" She called, trying to get the man's attention. He was cuddling with a model Ema had met before, but couldn't remember the name of. He didn't notice her, so he called his name again.

"What the hell do you-Oh crap, Ema, it's you." He replied, finally pulling his eyes away from the girl around his arm.

"Daryan, have you seen Klavier anywhere? I haven't seen him at all since we got here." Ema replied.

"Klavy? Uhhh...Naw, haven't seen him either. Hey Franny babe, you see old Klavy anywhere?" Daryan asked, turning to the model.

"Klavier?" She asked. She had a slight German accent, just like the aforementioned rock star. "Yes, I saw him. He was on the first floor, but I'm not sure if he's still there. I can help you look, though."

"Thanks...um, Franziska?" Ema asked, praying that she had gotten the woman's name right. Maybe she should just start calling her Franny as well.

"That's right." Franziska said, getting up from the couch. Before she could take one step, Daryan had grabbed her wrist. "You leaving me all alone up here, babe?" He asked, giving her the best puppy-dog eyes he could muster.

"I have to. Only a foolishly foolish fool would leave someone in a situation like this alone."

"Man, your definitely not drunk enough yet. Your still pulling that "fool" junk." Daryan said as he released his grip on her wrist. She gave him a smile, and headed down to the first floor with Ema.

The minute they reached the first floor, the music and lights hit Ema like a storm. She actually had to cover her eyes to shield herself from the glare. There were so many people that she was afraid that if she even blinked, she'd lose sight of Franziska.

"I last saw him dancing near the bar!" Franziska shouted, so she could be heard over the crowd. She grabbed Ema's hand, and they both headed over there. They pushed through the crowd of sweaty, dancing bodies, and tried not to get swept up in the throng. After a while, they did reach the area that Franziska was talking about.

"Where is he? I don't see him." Ema said, scanning the area the best she could. It's unbelievably hard to see through a mass of dancing celebrities.

"Look a little bit you your left, Ema." Franziska said. Ema noted that something was slightly off about her tone of voice suddenly, but couldn't place her finger on why. Until she looked to the left. She saw Klavier, all right.

With his arms wrapped around another woman.


	2. Chapter 2

The music that had once been so loud to Ema's ears seemed to die out around her. She wanted to believe she had had to much to drink and was imagining the whole thing. That she was still in bed, sleeping the day away. Though when she went up to him and tugged on his sleeve, and felt the leather of his jacket touch her skin, she somehow knew it wasn't a dream. Without a word, Ema tugged Klavier away from his previous dance partner. When she got a clear look at his face, she saw a glaze in his eyes that only the truly inebriated wear. It was that look, that glazed, glassy distant look that made Ema's blood boil.

"Klavier, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Ema asked, not even bothering to keep her voice down.

Klavier merely smiled. "Calm down, meine liebe. It's no big deal, ja? I was just having a little fun." He replied, carefully going over the words he spoke so he wouldn't slur them too badly.

"If you just wanted to have a little _fun _and dance, why didn't you do it with me, huh? Your _wife._Why didn't you think to look for your wife?

"I couldn't find you. This is a reaaaaly big club, ja?" He started laughing. His breath was thick with the stench of alchol.

Ema threw up her hands. "Couldn't find me? Couldn't find me? You act like this is the first time you've ever been to a huge club. You've been doing this way before I was, Klavier. But I guess you were to busy dancing with that pink-haired bimbo."She sighed. "You've just been dropping me off at parties, leaving me to wander around, while you go and dance with other girls, I bet. Klavier, if you still wanted to be a playboy, why did you even marry me?"

Klavier listened to her entire speech, but couldn't come up with a dignified response. The only think he could think to say was: "Meine liebe, please. Keep your voice down. People are staring."

That only ignited the fire inside of Ema. "Let them stare, then! Who cares!? My problem's not with them, it's with _you_." Suddenly she stepped very close to him, looking into his eyes, their bodies almost pressed against each other. Klavier attempted to stammer out a question, but before he could get his tongue untied, she reached into his pocket and grabbed the keys to their car.

"Come on." She said. "We're leaving. Or you know, you could stay here, finish dancing. Didn't mean to interrupt you, or anything." Before Klavier could respond, she had already turned her back to him, walking away. The crowd surrounding them moved to the side slightly to let her through.

Klavier felt a hand on his arm, and turned to look at the woman he had previously been dancing with.

"Forget her, Klavy. She's no fun. She sees you dancing with one girl, and she explodes like a volcano." She said, rubbing his arm.

"I can't just...forget her, April. She is my wife, you are not." He said as he removed her hand.

"Come on, Klavy. She'll just drag you down, hun. A real stick in the mud. How about you come back to my place? I'll show you a real good time." Klavier shook his head, fighting through his drunken haze.

"Nein, April. I have to go now. Ema is waiting for me." Without even looking at her he walked away after Ema. As he was moving through the crowd, Franziska placed herself directly in front of him.

"Franziska..." He started, but didn't get a chance to finish before she cut him off.

"_Wer sind Sie? Das Klavier, das ich kenne, würde nie seine Frau wie das verletzen. Das Klavier, das ich kenne, ist nicht unverantwortliches wie dieses." _

"I know, I know." Klavier replied. "But I don't want to hear it right now. I-"

"Did I ask you whether or not you wanted to hear what I have to say? You are going to listen to me, Klavier Gavin."

"Franziska-"

"Do you even know who April May _is_?

"Yes, but-"

"She's an actress for adult movies, Klavier.

"I know-"

"With her reputation-"

"_Franziska-!_"

"What do you think Ema was thinking when she saw you dancing with her? That you _only_ wanted to dance with her? Tell me, Klavier, what do people normally suspect when one hangs out with that type of company?"

"_Verdammen Sie es_, Franziska! I was not going to do anything with her!"

"Oh? It's not me you should trying to convince, it's Ema." With that, Franiziska moved out of his way to let him through. He glared at her for a few seconds for delaying him, but continued on his way. He dare not run though, unless he wanted to trip flat on his face. It was hard enough for him to just walk.

When he got outside, he saw that Ema had not yet driven off. He opened the passenger side door and looked inside, and saw Ema staring at him, while gripping the steering wheel a bit too tightly. He looked back into her eyes, hoping to see forgiveness, but only saw cold anger burning in them.

"Ema-"

"Just be quiet, Klavier."

There was an awkward moment of silence, before Ema spoke again. "Are you going to get in the car, or what?" She asked, sounding much more tired than angry.

Klavier got in very slowly, slipping into the passenger's side. It took him a while to buckle his seat belt, though as soon as he finally got it, Ema began to drive away. The entire car ride was filled with silence, neither Ema nor Klavier saying a single word. Even though their home was not too far away, the time seemed to stretch on forever. Klavier could almost feel the anger radiating off his wife. He wanted to apologize, but his mind was too hazy to think up anything. So he stared out the window, watching as the lights blurred together as they sped past them. Occasionally, he turned to glance at Ema, who kept her eyes fiercely on the road ahead.

After what felt like an eternity, Ema pulled into the driveway of their house. She was the first one to get out, and slammed car door loudly as she did. The noise rang in Klavier's ears even after she had gone. He titled his head back on the seat, running a hand through his hair. During the drive, the effects of the alcohol had begun to wear off, leaving him with only a slight buzz. He was sober enough now to realized what he had done was incredibly stupid, and that Franziska had made a good point. He had danced with a woman like April, for goodness sake. What else could be running through Ema's mind besides "affair"? Klavier sighed and got out of the car, walking into the house with shaky steps.

Once he stepped into the house, he saw no sign of Ema. It was a big house, true, but not so big that one could get lost. After getting married, the two of them decided on not getting a mansion, but instead purchasing a modest home. Ema thought the giant mansion he wanted was too, in her words "foppish."

Klavier stepped into the living room, but saw no sign of Ema. Muttering a curse under his breath, he went to go check the kitchen. There he found her, pouring water into a glass Klavier watched her, but didn't say anything. When she was finished, she turned towards him, and handed him the glass. He took it from her slowly, took one quick swallow , and placed it on the kitchen counter.

"You've never done that before, Klavier." Ema said, breaking the silence.

Klavier averted his eyes, and looked at his glass, but didn't reach for it. He just wanted something to look at besides Ema.

"I'm not just talking about the dancing. I mean getting drunk. You've never gotten that drunk before at a party, not ever."

Silence once again filled the kitchen.

"This is the first time I've ever had to drive us home."

Ema stared at Klavier, waiting for a response. Seeing as she wasn't going to get one any time soon, she continued on.

"And where exactly _have _you been wandering off to, Klavier? Lately, every time we go to a party or something, you just up and disappear. I hardly get to see you for more than five minutes once we step inside. What am I to you? Just some trophy wife you can show off for a couple a minutes? Is that it?"

Klavier remained silent, but his eyes turned back to Ema. His jaw was clenched, as if he had something he wanted to say.

"So let me get this straight," Ema started. "You drop me off, then go dance with one of your hussies, am I right?"

Klavier said something, but Ema couldn't hear him.

"What was that?"

"I said nein, Ema." He was still speaking softly, and had averted his eyes to the ground.

"Then what, Klavier? What have you been doing?"

Klavier remained silent.

"Just tell me, Klavier, if you've been cheating-"

_"I said I have not! _Klavier yelled angrily. He hadn't meant to raise his voice, but he didn't apologize for it, either.

Ema looked shocked at first, but she managed to reply with an almost equally loud voice.

"Well, it's not like I can really believe you! I ask you if you are, you say no, so when I ask you what you are doing, you give me the silent treatment ! What the hell am I supposed to think, Klavier? Huh? What the _hell_ am I suppose to think!?"

Klavier turned away from her, and headed back into the living room. Ema trailed right after him. She wasn't through with him yet.


	3. Chapter 3

Ema found her husband leaning on the arm of the couch, looking down at the floor with a hand frozen in his hair.

"Klavier..." Ema said. Klavier visibly tensed at her voice, though her tone had ceased to be judgmental.

She walked over to him, and stood right in front of him. His gaze still didn't leave the floor. The two stood like that for a while, completely silent except for that faint ticking of a clock that hung on the wall. Ema couldn't stand the silence any longer. She put a finger under her husband's chin, and gently brought his head back up. His eyes looked straight into hers. The glaze he had while drunk was completely gone, clarity shone in his eyes.

"Why are you acting like this?" Ema asked softly, almost whispering. "I don't understand..."

Klavier waited a moment, before replying. "There is nothing to understand, Ema."

With that, Ema's anger came back full swing. "Nothing to understand, Klavier? I want to understand _why_ you were dancing with April, _why_ you got so wasted, and what the _hell _you're doing when you're going off without a word. So how can you tell me there's nothing to understand?"

Klavier narrowed his eyes. "Ah, let me retract my earlier statement, _meine liebe_. I meant there is nothing _you _would understand, ja?"

Ema stepped back, and placed hands on her hips. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean, huh?" She yelled.

"It means exactly what it sounds like."

"It sounds like you can't trust me!"

Without warning, Klavier began to laugh. It was a loud, bitter laugh, and even though Ema's outward appearance seemed calm, she was actually very unsettled.

_"I_ can't trust _you_, Ema? And tell me, who is the one who has been accusing me of an affair for almost the whole night, huh?" Klavier asked as he stepped directly in front of Ema.

"How am I supposed to trust you when you've been giving me the cold shoulder all night?" Ema fumed.

Klavier was silent, and continued to stare down at her. Finally, Ema spoke again.

"Klavier...just tell me. Are you having an affair?"

Klavier threw up his hands, and walked over to the coffee table. "Didn't you just hear what I said!?" He yelled.

"I heard what you said, Klavier, and you still didn't give me an answer!" Ema shouted.

"Nein, Ema! How many times have I said nein!? I'm not cheating on you! I would never cheat on you!"

"Then what have you been doing, Klavier!?"

"Ema, for God's sake-"

"Answer me, Klavier!"

"I have not been cheating, I swear!"

"That doesn't answer the question! You can tell me that all night if you want, but until you answer me, I'm not letting it go."

"Ema, please!"

"Don't 'please' me Klavier! Just answer the damn question!"

"Ema!"

"Just answer me! _What are you hiding from me!?"_

Suddenly, Klavier let out a roar of rage, picked up a vase from the coffee table, and threw it with all the force he could muster at the ticking clock on the wall. It missed the clock, but the force of the vase on the surrounding wall caused the clock to shatter to ground, and the glass from the clock and the vase sat in a puddle of water and flowers.

Klavier was staring at the wall, his breathes coming in hard bursts.

Klavier stared at the wall, his brow drenched in sweat, and his breaths coming in hard bursts. Slowly, he turned around. He saw Ema, her face paled and her eyes wide with fear It took Klavier a moment to realize his wife was shaking, and his feature softened as he realized the severity of what he had done.

"Oh... oh my God, Ema. I'm so sorry." Klavier said gently. Ema was still staring at him, her eyes almost popping out of her head. Before he could say anything else, Ema had run down the hall.

Klavier watched as she left, then began to mutter curses in German under his breath. He went into the closet and found a broom and dustpan, and began to sweep up the shattered glass and flowers. By the time he was finished and had just thrown everything away, Ema came back, rolling a small suitcase behind her.

"Where..." Klavier cleared his throat. "Where are you going, Ema?"

"Away from here. Maybe Lana's, maybe a friend's. I don't know, but it's none of your business." Ema said. Her voice sounded detached.

"Are you...will you be coming back?" Klavier asked, still trying to keep his voice soft.

"Maybe, Klavier. I don't know yet. I really...I really need some time to think." Ema walked towards the front door slowly and mechanically, as if she wasn't sure the ground would crumble beneath her feet. Despite how unreal the situation felt, she knew what had happened was all to real.

Just as she was about to turn the knob, Klavier spoke up. "Be safe, okay?" The only reply Klavier received was sound of the door slamming shut. Klavier stood there for while, listening to the car start, then roll out of the driveway, onto the street. As soon as he was sure Ema was gone, he plopped onto the couch, buried his face in his, and began to cry, his sobs heard by no one but himself.

Little did he know, that in the car, Ema was crying just as hard.


	4. Chapter 4

Even at two in the morning, L. A was still bathed in the light of the surrounding buildings, though the streets were empty, . Apollo looked at these semi-deserted streets through his bedroom window, while rubbing eyes that felt grainy from a lack of sleep. He had only went to bed three hours ago, and here he was, up and about again. Apollo yawned, and looked at both the bed and his sleeping girlfriend. He thought about climbing back in, but knew all he would do was lay there and stare at the ceiling. He sighed, and decided to head into the living room.

The apartment wasn't small, but it certainly wasn't huge either. The living room consisted of a T.V, a loveseat, a desk with a laptop and a phone on it, and paintings depicting varying sceneries hung all over the room. Apollo thought about turning on the T.V, but changed his mind and went straight towards the desk. He sat down in the chair and opened his laptop, and looked at the word document that held the budding pieces of his novel. This was about the hundredth time he had re-read it, and he still felt that it was garbage, no matter how many times he edited. . Garbage or not, Apollo's financial situation wasn't exactly in the best place and if push came to shove, he'd just finish it up and publish what he'd written. Even if he didn't make much money off of it, any little bit would do.

"But what am I doing wrong?" Apollo thought out loud , staring at the words on the screen. "My first novel didn't sell too badly, but still..." He didn't even bother to try and fix anything this time around. No matter what he did, he knew he wouldn't be satisfied. Apollo decided he'd just continue on, and whatever happens, he would let happen, even if he had to disappoint the small amount of fans he had recently obtained.

Before he began to start on a new paragraph, the phone rang,y making Apollo nearly jump out of his chair. He scrambled for the phone, and as soon as he managed to catch it from falling off the desk, he put the phone next to his ear. "Who is this?" Apollo asked, annoyance evident in his voice.

All Apollo heard was a chuckle on the other end of the line.

"Who is this!?" Apollo repeated, more agitated. "I don't find prank calls very funny."

"Calm down, calm down." The voice on the other end said. "Just take a breath, all right? No need to get so worked up over a little phone call."

"A little phone call? Sir, it's two in the morning. This is a ridiculous hour to call anyone."

"Oh?" Said the man. When Apollo heard nothing else from him, he decided to speak.

"Sir, did you call for anything in particular, or did you just want to harass me?"

"I need to talk to you, Justice."

"You're talking to me right now, aren't you?"

The man on the other end laughed.

"Look," Apollo started, "if you're just going to laugh all night, I'm going t-"

"I mean," The man interrupted, "I need to talk to you in person."

"Talk to me in person? Then you should have called earlier. I don't exactly like planning meetings with strangers in the dead of night."

The man was silent for a moment, before he spoke again.

"I've got something I need you to do, Justice. That only you can do."

"What are you talking about?" Apollo asked impatiently.

"You could say...I have a job for you."

"A job? Sir, I'm a writer, not a-"

"I know exactly what you are."

"Then you should know I'm a freela-"

"That has nothing to do with what I need you to do."

The man's easygoing tone of voice had turned serious, almost grave.

"Justice? Are you still there?" The man asked.

"Uh..Yes" Apollo cleared his throat nervously. "I'm here."

"I really need to meet you in person. Please, I'm asking nicely here."

Apollo almost laughed. Nicely? The man sounded about ready to kill him.

"...Fine." Apollo said, relenting. "Where did you want to meet up?"

"You know a place called Gummy's Burgers?"

"Yeah, I passed by there a few times."

"I'd appreciate it if you met me there at noon. And just for being so nice and deciding to change your mind, I'll even buy you a burger."

"That's not really necessary, sir."

"Oh, but it is. Have you ever tried one of their burgers? They're phenomenal. " That seriousness had gone out of the stranger's voice, and Apollo sighed with relief.

"All right. Gummy's Burgers. Noon. I got it." Apollo said quickly, dying to end the conversation. "Well, I'm going to bed now, and I'd appreciate it if you never call at this hour again."

"Thanks a lot, Justice. Sleep tight."

Apollo hit end, then stared at the phone, still trying to process exactly what had just happened. He was so caught up in his reverie, that he failed to hear the soft footsteps approaching him, and jumped when a hand placed itself on his shoulder. Apollo turned his attention from the phone to see his girlfriend looking at him with wide eyes.

"Apollo?" She asked, startled by his strong reaction to her touch. "Are you all right?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine, Vera." Apollo said, placing the phone back. "What are you doing up?"

"I heard you talking, and I was wondering who you were talking to so late..." Vera said softly. No one else would have heard the slight tinge of suspicion in her voice, but Apollo did.

"It was just some guy. He wanted to meet me tomorrow, to talk about some sort of job deal."

Vera looked at him, biting her bottom lip. "Are you sure it's safe?" She asked after a minute. "There are a lot of shady people out there, and..." Vera trailed off, and looked at Apollo worriedly.

He hadn't even considered that. Anxiety tugged at him, but he smiled and wrapped his arms around her, then pulled her into a hug to ease her nerves. "I'll be fine, I promise."

Vera nodded, but somehow he could tell that she didn't really believe him.

"Are you coming back to bed?" Vera asked.

"Yeah, I'm actually pretty tired." Apollo yawned. "I need to get some rest for my impromptu meeting tomorrow."

When they got back into bed, Vera fell fast asleep again. Apollo stayed up for a little while longer, staring at the ceiling, wondering just what job that mysterious man would have in store.


	5. Chapter 5

The cool spell that swept L.A seemed to have disappeared for a day, letting the sun release its heat out onto the citizens below. Apollo rode his bike through this heat wave, enjoying the warm feeling on his skin. Hhe liked summer, and was sad to see it leave. So as a farewell to his favorite season, he soaked up all the sunlight he could as he pedaled his bike towards Gummy's Burger.

It didn't take him too long to get there, and after putting his bike away on the bike rack, he stepped inside. His first thoughts on the place were that it was small, but also very homey. Despite the welcoming atmosphere, there weren't many customers. Just one couple sitting by a window, and another man sitting in the far back. Apollo held back a sigh, already knowing that his mysterious caller was none other than the shady man in the corner. Apollo walked over to his table, and sat down on the opposite side. The man didn't say a word, but simply watched him.

"So," Apollo started once he got himself settled. "I'm assuming you're the man who called me last night?"

The man stared at him with piercing blue eyes, almost as if the question had offended him. Apollo stared back just as hard, but it didn't take long for him to shift his gaze. Suddenly the man began to laugh.

"Looks like I won." He said, grinning at Apollo.

Apollo raised an eyebrow. "Won what, exactly?"

"Our staring contest."

Apollo sighed. He had a feeling this was going to be a long meeting.

"Hey, lighten up, Justice." The man said, the smile never fading from his face.

"How am I supposed to lighten up with you glaring at me like that?" Apollo asked.

"Glaring? I wasn't glaring. You know, they say you can tell a lot about a person just from their gaze."

"Look, could we just get to the point of this meeting already, Mr...?"

"Nick. Just call me Nick."

_"Even his name sounds shady..._" Apollo thought.

"Well...Mr. Nick, I believe you said you had a job for me?"

Nick nodded. "That I did."

"Well, what exactly is it?"

"Hold on," Nick said, holding up a hand. "Our waitress is coming."

Apollo shifted slightly, trying to hide his irritation. He turned his head to see a pregnant waitress t approaching their table. The second her eyes landed on Nick, she smiled brightly.

"Hey, long time no see! I haven't seen you around in a while!" She exclaimed, her face practically beaming with excitement.

"I know, I'm sorry Maggey. I really am trying my best to keep up with my status as 'regular' customer."

"Well, it's ok. Just make sure not to turn into a stranger. It's already hard enough to recognize you. "

Nick smiled. "I won't."

"And Dick's been dying to talk to you. He's been talking about meeting up with you for a few drinks."

"Tell him I'd like that."

For a while the two chatted, something about how Maggey and Dick had fixed the restaurant up nicely, (Apparently it had been called Tres Bien before, and they described it as being too "frilly") Something about an old man who used to wander around the park throwing seeds, and how some loan place called "Tender Lender" had closed down. Apollo was completely lost regarding their conversation, so he waited patiently as they reminisced while drumming his fingers on the table. After some time, his patience stretched out, and he prepared to leave, when the waitress named Maggey turned towards him.

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to push you to the side like that! You must be a friend of Nick! It's nice to meet you, Mr...?

"Justice. Apollo Justice."

Suddenly Maggey put a hand to her mouth, barely stifling a gasp. Apollo looked at her, his expression near horrified, wondering what he had done or said to cause such a reaction.

"Apollo Justice? You mean Apollo Justice the _author_?"Maggey yelled.

Apollo felt his face grow warm. "Yes, that's me."

"Oh my God! I loved your book, Mr. Justice, sir! You really have to write more, sir, you just have to! I'm already a huge fan! So is everyone in my book club! Actually, just yesterday, we were talking about your fluid style of writing, your vivid imagery, how you really add a lot of depth to your characters-oh! and how in one chapter you can make us laugh, and the next chapter we're ready to grab a tissue. I've re-read your book at least three times already. I mean it's not very long, but it also holds so much, you know? In fact-"

"Hey, slow down there, Maggey." Phoenix interrupted. "Don't want to overwhelm the poor guy."

Now it was Maggey's turn to blush. "O-oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Justice, sir. I didn't mean to bother you."

"It's okay, you weren't bothering me. It feels good to know there are people than really like my books." Apollo said, smiling to put her at ease.

Maggey smiled back, then pulled out a pen and paper, ready to take their order. Once the two men had made their final choices, Maggey hurried away to the kitchen as fast as she could with her large belly.

"It really has been a long time since I've been here. Last time I was around, Maggey's wasn't even showing yet." Nick mused.

"Yes, well" Apollo started. "What was this job you had for me?"

Nick chuckled softly. "You sure do like to get straight to the point, don't you, Justice? Let's just chat for a while."

Apollo sighed, knowing that he would acquiesce to the man's request. Apollo didn't try to initiate the conversation, but merely waited for Nick to say something.

"So, Justice, what made you decide to start writing novels?"

"Well," Apollo started, "I've always loved writing. Ever since I was a little kid. So I decided I'd make a career out of what I love doing."

"Why'd you pick romance as your genre, hm? There aren't really that many male romance authors out there."

Apollo felt himself blushing agai. He thought Nick hadn't noticed, but when he heard him chuckling, he only reddened more.

"I've, uh..." Apollo hesitated. "You see, I've always...really been a fan of romance when I was coming up...so..." He trailed off, not really wanting to go into great detail.

Nick couldn't help but laugh, and as he did, Apollo felt like his face was on fire.

"Don't be so embarrassed. Nothing wrong with liking romance when you're a guy. In fact, while I was in high school, I dabbled with some romance books myself." Nick admitted. " They weren't that bad."

"Yeah, well, anyway, about this job-"

"You've only published one book so far, am I right?" Nick interrupted.

Apollo once again tried to hide his irritation. "Yes, that's right. Mr. Nick, the j-"

"Are you working on another book?"

"Yes, I am, but-"

"Well, if I recall, your first novel came out quite a while ago. Shouldn't your second be out right around this time?"

Apollo made no effort to hide his annoyance anymore. "Mr. Nick, really, I don't want to talk about i-"

"Are you having trouble writing your book?"

Apollo stayed quiet, unable to understand why the man across from him was trying so hard to push his buttons.

"Do you have writer's block, Justice? I think you do. It's all right, it happens to even the best of writers. You just need something to inspire you, isn't that right?"

"I don't have to listen to this." Apollo said as he stood up. "If you're just going to harass me like this, I'm going to leave." He turned around, ready to head to the door, when Nick spoke up behind him.

"Sit down."

Even though he hadn't raised his voice, the words were filled with so much authority that Apollo felt forced to comply. He slowly slid back down into his seat. Nick's eyes were filled were such solemnity that Apollo was actually worried. He had to admit; when Nick looked like that, he was actually quite scary.

"Now," Nick continued, his voice almost as serious as his eyes. "Let's talk about this job."


	6. Chapter 6

Before Nick could get a word in, Maggey came bustling out of the kitchen, their meals in tow. She came to their table, ready to give the two men their lunch, but hesitate, feeling the tension between the two.

"Everything all right, guys?" She asked cautiously.

Phoenix looked towards her, his features softening instantly. His blue eyes, which had been so steely a moment before, were now warm and friendly. "Everything's fine, Maggey." Nick said, as he flashed her a reassuring smile.

Maggey didn't look very reassured, but she gave a small smile anyway. "Good. I didn't want to escort you two outta here." She said as she finally put their food down on the table.

"No need to worry about that. I'll make sure Justice here won't lose control of himself."

Apollo was ready to interject, until Maggey began to giggle. "You know, it's not Mr. Justice I'm worried about."

"Really?" Nick said absently, already off in his own little world.

Maggey sighed, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Justice. He's a bit odd...in his own charming way, I guess." She left the two to their lunch, while hurrying off to help another customer who had just entered.

After Maggey had left, Nick picked up his burger and began to eat. Apollo waited a moment, waiting to see if he would say something about the job. Once Nick had taken a third bite of his burger without saying a word, Apollo realized he didn't plan to talk at all. He sighed, and picked up his own burger.

The meal was eaten in complete silence, neither of the men saying a word. Apollo glanced at Nick at few times, and saw that his eyes still had the distant far away look. Apollo couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking about. He had only met the man today, but he was already certain the he was full of mysteries. For some reason, even though his genre was romance, he almost wanted to write a book about the mystery this one man was emanating. _"Well, actually, his personality isn't too bad for a character in a novel. Let's see, a really mysterious guy, maybe with a dark and troubled past, an assassin maybe? Realizes the girl he has to kill is an old lover. They fall back in love, but then, she has a secret of her own, and it's-"_

"Justice."

The mention of his name pulled him out of his thoughts, and he noticed that Nick had finished eating. Apollo had actually spaced out so much he had forgotten he had finished as well, save a few fries.

"What is it?" Apollo replied

"You done eating?"

Apollo cleared his throat nervously and nodded.

"All right then, about this job...it's a big one. And I think you'll be able to handle it. But, if you don't want to go through with it, it's time to let me know now."

Apollo was ready to tell him that he never even wanted to meet with him in the first place, but changed his mind. Suddenly, he was very interested in seeing what exactly Nick believed that he could do.

"I'm in." Apollo thought he saw a faint smile on Nick's face, but he couldn't be sure.

"Well, let's start with the background, first of all. A few nights ago, as you may have heard on the news, in the newspaper, gossip magazines, etc. that a certain celebrity couple are having a pretty big fight right now."

"You mean the Gavins?" Apollo asked.

"Yup. Almost everybody is saying that they're already verging on divorce. Ema's left their house, and hasn't gone back. Klavier is, according to the media, 'an absolute mess.' Every picture they've gotten of him so far is either when he was drunk, with a certain floozy on his arm, and sometimes both. At least once he's walked out of a club with a man, but I personally think it was completely platonic between them. But you know the media hyped it up into something more."

Apollo nodded, showing that he was still following along. "I have a feeling that this job has something to do with Klavier."

"How intuitive." Nick said with a smile. "And that's right; it does has something to do with Klavier. You see, Ema's staying at my place-"

"Wait, what? Why is she staying at your house, of all places? What about that famous prosecuting sister of hers? Why isn't she with her?"

Nick shrugged. "Her sister is a very busy woman. Besides, Ema and I have been friends for a long time. Ema is staying with me, and she told me everything about the fight. Apparently, Ema thinks Klavier is having an affair, which is unsurprising. He denies it, but she claims the way he was acting says otherwise. Oh, and I heard he got a little violent. He didn't hit her, or anything, but he lost control and threw a vase. It really shook her up, and that's why she left."

Apollo pursed his lips, apparently in deep thought. When Apollo didn't respond, Nick continued.

"I've only heard one side of the story, and that's from Ema. And though I believe Ema's telling the truth, I really want to hear Klavier's side of the story."

"Why?"

"Because, Justice, it seems like something's...missing from Ema's story. Not that I think she's lying, like I just said, I'm sure she's telling the truth, but that there's another piece of the story I need to hear. And that's where you come in."

"You want me to talk to Klavier, and get his side of the story?"

"Bingo."

"There's just one problem though, Mr. Nick." Apollo sighed. "How am I even supposed to get _near_ Klavier Gavin? I don't exactly have a 'celebrity status' you know."

Nick was quiet for a moment, obviously contemplating. "I don't think you need one. Klavier's been hanging out in alot of clubs. That's what the media says, anyway. You could probably just walk into a random club and spot him there. No VIP or anything. Plus, he's not hard to miss." Nick paused for a minute, before continuing. "So you could just cruise around a bit, and see if you spot him. He'll most likely be out every night, so you could go check whenever you want." He stopped, waiting for Apollo's input.

"All right, but that still leaves another problem. I can't just go up to him and say: 'Hey, Mr. Gavin, I heard you and your wife are fighting. Can I get your side of the story on that?' What am I supposed to do?"

"Mmm...tell him that you work for a magazine, or a newspaper, or something."

"Are you serious? Mr. Nick, if I tell him that, he'll avoid me like the plague. There has to be something else I can tell him."

"Tell him you work for me, then."

"Huh? How does he know you?"

"I met Klavier when he was younger, since I was a good friend of his brother's. So tell him Ema's not spilling, and I want to know what happened."

Apollo stayed quiet, staring at his cup of soda, and letting let Nick's whole plan sink in for a moment. _"Is this really going to work...? Can I actually do this?_"

"Mr Nick, I just have one more question. Why me? Why did you pick me to do this?"

Nick's stared intesenly at him, and this time Apollo returned it. He needed to know. This man had dragged him into someone else's problems...and he needed to know why. He was just a writer. What could he possibly do to help the Gavins?

"You may not see it now..." Nick started, his gaze never wavering from Apollo's face, "but in the end, this'll benefit both you and the Gavins."

"It seems to me like your just being nosy, and that you're too lazy to go dig up information by yourself."

Nick smiled. "Is that so?"

"You boys done here?"

Both Apollo and Nick turnedto see Maggey. When Nick affirmed that they were through, Maggey picked up their dirty dishes. "Oh, by the way, the lunch is on the house.

"Thanks, Maggey. I appreciate it."

"Sure thing. Just promise to bring Trucy along with you next time."

"Will do."

When Maggey had waddled back to the kitchen, Nick stood up from his seat and stretched. "Well, Justice, guess this is the end of our meeting."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Apollo asked, as he stood up himself. "This all seems kind of sketchy. I mean, what if Klavier files a harassment report? I don't want to-" He was cut off suddenly when Nick placed his hands on his shoulders, and bored straight into his eyes.

"Will it help if I tell you I believe in you, Justice?"

Apollo was speechless, but Nick took his silence for a yes.

"Here," He said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. "This is where I'm usually at. When you get your info, come see me." He walked past him and headed to the door. "See you later" He called out before heading out the door.

As Nick left, Apollo looked down at the card he had given him a few seconds ago. His eyes widened as he saw the title of the card.

Wright's Anything Agency.

Apollo rushed outside, ready to give 'Mr. Nick' an earful, only to find he had already vanished from the street, and could find no sign of Wright's bright blue beanie across the street either. Apollo_ tsked_ in frustration.

_"Yeah,_" Apollo thought bitterly. _"I'll be seeing you again real soon, Mr. Forging Attorney. Scam Artist."_

Apollo crumpled the card, ready to throw it away...but instead stuffed it into his pocket and headed home.


	7. Chapter 7

Tuesday night.

That was the night Apollo chose. Mr. Nick- no, Mr. Wright had told him Klavier would be out every night of the week, and Tuesday happened to be the best. Vera had gone to visit her dad, and would be gone for the rest of the night, which was good for him; he didn't want Vera to find out about this. He had even lied to her about what he and Mr. Wright had talked about. He told her some half-hearted fib that the man was interested in being his editor and that he'd think about it. Apollo usually didn't lie to Vera, or keep secrets from her, but in this situation, he really felt as if he had no choice.

He didn't even have to get out of his car to feel out of place. Despite would Mr. Wright had said, he decided to check the area around the 'fancier' clubs first. He didn't dare get out of his car to check, though. People were already staring at his beat-up, burgundy Toyota, wondering why such a dingy car would have the nerve to tread on such high-class streets. Apollo ignored the stares, and focused his attention on looking for the German rock-star. He gave about twenty minutes of his time before deciding to ditch the high class area. He ventured to some of the more low-brow clubs, only to find no sigh of Mr. Gavin.

"_He's really not here..."_Apollo thought dejectdly. "Did he go all the way to the red light district or something?" He murmured out loud in exasperation. Even though that was the last area he'd ever want to be in, he decided he might as well give it a look.

The mood in red-light area was certainly different from before. It wasn't so flashy here, and you could tell by the way some people dressed that they offered some...not so legal wares. The buildings too offered services that you won't exactly find in the places of the prim and proper. So many signs offered XXX this, or XXX that, making Apollo regret his decision to drive down here even more. He knew Mr. Wright had told him Klavier was starting to get wrapped up into some shady stuff lately, but he had no clue it'd could have been like this. He drove slowly, for any sign of Klavier. Suddenly his cell phone rang, breaking his concentration. He pulled it out of his pocket, and looked at the screen. It was Vera.

"Hello?" Apollo answered, still scanning the area for Klavier.

"Hi, Apollo. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. How are you and Drew?"

"I'm doing okay...but it turns out dad has the flu."

Apollo frowned despite knowing she couldn't see it. "That's not good."

"Not at all. I'm going to stay over tonight to make sure he's okay. Plus, I don't feel like going out again anyway..."

Apollo nodded, then realized again that he did something that she couldn't see. "Make sure to make him lots of soup, with an extra tablespoon of love. I hear that's the best way to do it."

Vera giggled over the line. "I'll add another tablespoon with your love in it too."

"I don't think he'd eat it, then..."

"What do you mean? You know daddy loves you!"

"I don't think he loves me _that _much. You know he can't stand the fact that you even live with me now. If you don't leave by morning, I might never see you again."

" I may not be home till late afternoon tommorow, actually. " She confessed. "Think you can manage by yourself?" Apollo swore he could hear her smile.

"Yeah, I'll be-_there!_ Apollo yelled suddenly. He almost slammed on the breaks, right in the middle of the street.

There _he_ was, Klavier Gavin, casually walking down the street, bathed in the red lights coming from the buildings. With him was a pink-haired girl who clung to his arm almost as if she belonged there. Apollo began to feel a little anxious. The last thing he wanted was to get caught in the middle of an infedilty scandal.

Vera spoke up again. "Apollo, what happened? Who's where?" Worry coated her voice.

"Nothing, hun, I was just..." his voice trailed off as he focused his sights on following Klavier.

"Apollo?" Came a worried voice from the other line. "Apollo, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing I swear. I was, uhm...looking through an old picture book when you called. Yeah, I could find this red-and-white striped guy, it was really frustrating.

"Well," Vera said after a short pause, "it's just a picture book. Don't stress yourself out over it. And don't stress me out over it either." He could hear some amusement in her voice.

"Im sorry."

"Well, I'm going to go check up on daddy now. I'll talk to you later."

"Tell him I said get well soon."

"Sure thing, Bye."

"Bye." With that, Apollo hung up.

He had finally found a good parking place, but he had already lost track of Klavier. Apollo put his phone back into his pocket and headed out onto the street, hoping he could find him. A part of Apollo wanted to make sure he didn't find Klavier, just so he could go back home and be done with this whole nasty business. But he knew that even if he didn't find him tonight, he'd search again tomorrow.

"Where is he...where'd he go?" Apollo muttered to himself as he looked along the street. So far, he hadn't seen Klavier since that surprising moment in the car. "_Don't tell me I lost him already...is he really in that much of a hurry?"_ Apollo thought wearily. Afer looking for a while, he decided to reast, and leanded against the wall of a red-bricked building. He closed his eyes, giving them a rest from the neon signs battering at his eyes, and ignored the grimy feeling of the wall against his back.

What in the world was he thinking, following Klavier Gavin like some sort of lost fan. This whole situatuon was ridiculous. "And why am I even doing this? For that stupid, lying ex-attorney?" He thought out loud. He wanted to storm right into the "Wright Anything Agency" and give Mr. Wright a piece of his mind.

Apollo was pulled away from his angry thoughts when a woman leaned next to him on the wall. Apollo glanced at her, wondering why she couldn't have picked a spot away from him to lean. She was bit older than him, with light brown hair and a drowsy look about her. She yawned, adjustd her too short skirt, and took out her cell phone from her purse.

Apollo looked away from her when she started dialing. The more he looked at the sketchy looking crowd and equeally sketchy buildings about hik, the more anxious he felt. He really should go home, even if Gavin was here. "_If I stick around to long, I'll probably get mugged...or worse."_

"Hello?"

Apollo turned towards the sleepy looking woman, thinking she was addressing him, until he remembered she was on the phone. He turned back quickly, hoping she hadn't noticed the slip up.

"Hey, April. It's Cammy. Are you here yet?"

Apollo noticed she sounded almost as drowsy as she looked.

"Oh, you are? That's cool. Hey, did you bring that Klavier guy with you?"

Apollo felt like as if every muscle inside of him tensed.

"You did? That's great! What? I don't care if he's married...That was with you...maybe I'll be able to change his mind. He's what right now? Talking? Oh you mean with him...okay, I'll be right there. See ya." She finished, hanging up the phone. Then she yawned, stretched, and walked inside the very building on whose wall they were leaning on.

Apollo stared after her, almost in disbelief. He shook his head to clear it, then looked up at the sign for the building. An scantily cland neon girl dance around a pole, and next to her were the words "Pink Viper."

"A strip club...? Real classy, Klavier Gavin." Apollo sighed. He knew how terrible he'd feel when he went inside, and he probably wouldn't be able to look at Vera for at least a week without feeling guilty.

"Well," Apollo sighed. "Here goes nothing."


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N This is taking longer to upload here than I thought, because I've realized this story needs a whoooole lot of editing. Seriously, some of the stuff I wrote is pretty bad. *shudder* If I had the time/energy, I'd probably just re-write the entire thing, but instead I'll try my best to fix what I have thus far! Bleh. **_

The first thing Apollo noticed that the lights dim, pink, and irritating.

Apollo averted his eyes from anything he saw, however that wasn't always the easiest. The waitresses, also scantily clad, would sometimes call out to him, encouraging him to "enjoy the show." He never glanced at the women grinding against the poles, but just catching a look at one of those waitresses was already more that he could bear.

He felt like he would never find Klavier in the pink, stuffy club. He turned around to leave, but his escape was cut short as he bumped into a tall woman blocking his path.

"You look a little lost, big boy. You never been to a strip club before?" The woman teased. She was an older woman, but her body certainly hadn't betrayed her age, so much as the maturity in her voice.

"Uh, no, I'm just..." Apollo paused. "I'm looking for someone."

"Oh, so you're looking for a specific girl, is that it? What's her name? I can see if she comes on soon."

"No, no, no. It's not a girl. I'm looking for a man." The woman raised an eyebrow. "I mean, not like that, uh..." Apollo nervously rubbed the bracelet on his wrist. "I guess he's a customer..."

"Well, hun, why don't you give me his name? Maybe I'll recognize the name."

"His name is Klavier Gavin."

The woman hesitated, pursing her lips. She looked at him for a little while, then flicked some of her light brown hair away from her eyes.

"He doesn't want to be bothered." Her voice suddenly became pure ice, a stark contrast to the inviting tone from before.

"Please, I just need to see him for a minute-"

"He's already with someone."

The image of that pink-haired girl flickered in his mind.

"Just for a second. I won't take long at al-"

"I_ said_ that he doesn't want to be bothered! Now either pull up a seat and enjoy the girls, or I'll get the bouncer to kick you outta here. Mr. Gavin doesn't need any type of reporters looking into his business."

Apollo's eyes widened. "Reporter? No, I'm not a reporter."

She arched an eyebrow. "Oh? Then what's the relationship between you and Mr. Gavin?"

"We're...acquaintances." Apollo again rubbed nervously at his wrist. "We're both friends of the same guy. You see, our friend got into an, uh, accident, and I wanted to tell Klavier about it."

"What's this friend's name?"

"His name is Nick. Really, miss, it's important. He's not in great shape right now, and I think Klavier has the right to know about the situation."

She coolly stared down at his face, as if whether the answer to whether he was lining or not would suddenly appear on his forehead.

"Follow me." She barked, the iciness in her voice refusing to melt.

Apollo trailed behind her as she took him farther back into the strip club, away from the dancing women.

When they nearly reached the back, she stopped at a table booth that was built onto a small dais. Sitting at the table was none other than Klavier Gavin, with three other guests.

Klavier had been talking to a very stocky man with purple hair when they arrived. The man's suit was pink, and a jewel glittered on ever finger. Sitting next to the purple-haired man was the sleepy girl Apollo had saw outside. And next to Klavier was, unsurprisingly, the pink-haired woman, fixed on his arm.

Klavier looked at Apollo, irritation plain on his face. "Starr," he began, looking at Apollo's escort, "who is this?"

"Says he's an acquaintance of yours. He wants to talk about a friend of yours named Nick."

Klavier looked from her to Apollo, and decided to settle a glare on the latter. "Nick?"

Starr's glare, in combination with Klavier's, started to make Apollo increasingly nervous. He licked his lips, trying to think of a fast response. He noticed the purple-haired man was glaring at him now, as well. And his was the hardest of them all.

"You know, Nick. The one that owns that private agency. An 'anything agency'?"

Suddenly realization dawned on Klavier's face, and his expression softened. "Ah, that Nick, ja? Has he gotten himself into some trouble?"

"Um...I think we should talk about it...in private." Apollo said slowly, trying his hardest not to look in the direction of the bejeweled man sitting next to him.

"Well, you heard him Cammy." Starr said, looking at the sleepy girl. "Private. That means you better get back to work, hun. Hurry up on stage, it's almost your time anyway."

Cammy yawned, then rubbed her eyes. She scooted her way out of the booth, but she took her time about it. She gave a last wink at Klavier before she scurried away. Apollo noticed he paid her no mind.

"I'm sorry, Mr. White," Klavier apologized to the man next to him, "it it seems are meeting will have to be cute a bit short. But your information has been very useful to me. Danke."

"Oh, it was my pleasure, I assure you. Why, helping people is but a part of my wonderfeorus job, wouldn't you agree?" Mr. White smiled. "I'm sure you've bought this session's payment."

"Ja, ja, of course." Klavier responded, reaching into his pocket. He grabbed his wallet, and then pulled out one thousand dollars, all in one hundred dollar bills. Apollo couldn't help the widening of his eyes. Luckily, they appeared not to be focusing on him for the moment.

Mr. White plucked the money from the rock star's hand. "Ah, most kind of you, my splendicious friend. You're not like most of my customers, always late on their payment. Well, I suppose it just means less trouble for you!" Mr. White laughed while rising, and Klavier gave a nervous smiled in return. Mr. White stretched, then looked at the pink haired woman. "Come on, April. You are well aware we have other matters to attend to." He finished scooting out of the booth. He didn't even look Apollo's way, yet somehow he felt like he was assessing him.

"Aw, is it time to go already?" April whined, staring longingly at Klavier. "I didn't even get to spend that much time with Klavy..." She said, rubbing a hand over Klavier's chest. He looked at April, no emotion on his face at all. Then he smiled thinly, and removed her hand gently. "Do not worry Fraulein, I'm sure will see each other again soon."

April giggled, winked at Klavier, then scooted out of the booth. "Remember, that's a promise, baby." She said.

"Call me about our next meeting, Mr. Gavin, so I won't run out of appointment times. I'm sure you're already aware that I'm a _very_ busy man. And with that, Mr. Gavin, I bid you adieu." Mr. White turned around, heading towards the exit, with April trailing right behind him.

Apollo waited until he saw Mr. White exit the building before scooting into the booth. He sat across from Klavier, watching him. Klavier's hands were folded together, and he was staring at them blankly. He seemed to have forgotten Apollo entirely.

"Mr. Gavin?" Apollo started carefully. "I wanted to talk to you...about Mr. Wright."

"Hm?" Klavier said, looking up. "Oh, ja. Herr White...ah, I mean, Wright. Is he okay? He's not in any trouble, right?" He asked distantly

"He's fine. It's just that, he wanted me to ask you for a favor."

Klavier didn't respond, but instead was looking at a half-empty glass of whatever he had been drinking before Apollo arrived. Apollo waited, but became more worried when he didn't get a response from the rock star.

"Mr. Gavin? Are you all right?" Apollo asked.

Klavier blinked a few times, then looked over at Apollo. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said just now, Herr...?"

"Justice. Apollo Justice."

"I'm sorry, Herr Justice. I'm fine. Now, what was it you had said?"

"I was just saying that Mr. Wright needed a favor from you."

"What kind of favor?"

"He needs some information."

"Information? What kind of information could Herr Wright want from me?"

Apollo hesitated, not really wanting to go on. He already had a feeling this wasn't going to go as smoothly as Mr. Wright thought it would.

"He, um...he needs some info on you and Ema. He wants to know what happened between you two..." Apollo trailed off.

At first, he thought Klavier hadn't heard him, or at least didn't care. But then he narrowed his eyes at Apollo, and leaned forward.

"That is none of your business." He whispered menacingly.

"Please, Mr. Gavin. I-"

"You are just another _verdammt_ reporter, aren't you? I told you people, you are not getting anything from me! Nothing!" Klavier hissed. Anger burned beneath his eyes, and Apollo scooted away.

"No, I swear, Mr. Gavin!" Apollo exclaimed. "This isn't going to be in the newspaper, or any magazine, or anything! This really is just for Mr. Wright!"

Klavier drummed his fingers on the table, and looked at Apollo fiercely. "I don't believe you." He said simply.

"Look, maybe we should talk about this somewhere else? Like, somewhere private?"

"Here's a better idea. How about you leave, before I call a bouncer to _kick _you out, ja?

Apollo actually considered walking away, and leaving this whole thing behind him. He'd never wanted to get roped into this risky business anyway, so what was he still lingering for? The man had just given him an exit to this whole fiasco, and here he was, still trying to hang onto something that had nothing to do with anyway.

_"I'm just as nosy as Mr. Wright, aren't I...? That's why I'm still sitting here."_ Then, very quickly, a thought flickered into Apollo's mind, and he caught it before it passed.

"I have proof! I'll show you that I'm not a reporter!"

Klavier arched an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Herr Justice?"

"I'll be right back, Mr. Gavin." Apollo said hurriedly, sliding out of the booth. Klavier didn't reply, but merely watched him head toward the exit.

Once Apollo was outside, he realized how hot he had been while inside the building. He stood for a minute, letting the cool air dry away his nervous sweat. Once he was done resting, he jogged over to his car.

"I hope I left it in here." He muttered as he opened the driver's side door. And he saw, on the passenger seat, the crumpled up card Mr. Wright had given him a few days ago. He smoothed out the card, and looked at it proudly. Even though it was still wrinkled, the words were clearly legible.

Apollo re-locked his car and headed back inside.


	9. Chapter 9

Once he was back inside, he practically shoved the card into Klavier's face.

"You see? Mr. Wright gave me his card. Why would a reporter go out of his way to get a card from someone like him?" Apollo didn't know if that sounded exactly right, but at the moment, he didn't care. He had proof to prove his innocence, and that's all that mattered.

Klavier stared at the card, then took it from Apollo's hand. He looked at the front of it, the back, then the front again. For a long time, he said nothing, seemingly checking the authenticity of the card, though Apollo had no idea why anyone would want to forge a business card for an anything agency.

Finally, Klavier placed the card on the table, and slid it back over to Apollo.

"That certainly is Mr. Wright's card." Klavier mused.

"So, do you believe me now?" Apollo asked. He grabbed the wrinkled card, and slid it into his pocket.

"Well, I know for a fact that that card is Herr Wright's. And, I know that he would never give his card to a reporter; he hates them. So, I guess I have no choice to believe you, ja?"

Apollo couldn't help sighing in relief.

Klavier chugged down the rest of his drink, then set the empty glass down on the table.

"Why does Herr Wright want to know about me and Ema, anyway? I thought he would have better things to do than worry about us."

"Well, to him, I guess, it's not that simple. Ema is his friend, and I'm sure he's your friend too."

"_Nein,_ he is not really my friend. He is my brother's friend. You could say him and I are more than acquaintances, but less than friends. What's the right word for that? Associates?" Before Apollo could respond, Klavier called over a woman in one of the skimpiest police officer uniforms Apollo had ever seen. The rock star ordered a drink, and the woman promised she'd be back in no time with his order.

"Associates or not," Apollo started when Klavier's attention focused back to him, "Mr. Wright is really concerned, and that's why he wants to know what's going on."

"But what does he want to know? Ema and I are having a nasty fight right now. That's about it."

"He wants to know the _details_, Mr. Gavin. Why are you two fighting in the first place?"

Klavier reached for his glass, before remembering it was empty. "She thinks I am cheating on her."

_"_Big surprise." Apollo thought. He noticed Klavier was staring at him, and realized that he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

"Uh, what I meant was-"

"I assure you, April May means nothing to me. I have my reasons for having her around, but it's not for pleasure, to be sure."

"So why-?" Before he could finish, the "police officer" arrived again, placing a martini on the table in front of Klavier. He thanked her, then took out the olives placed in the glass. He lifted the glass to his lips and took a huge swallow.

"Um, anyway, Mr. Gavin. Why are you in a strip club then, if you're as faithful as you claim to be?"

"I was having a meeting with the man that left not too long ago." Klavier replied.

"In a strip club?"

"He likes to come to these places. I'm actually not to fond of them. But," Klavier took another sip of his drink, "it is not easy to make suggestions to one like Herr White."

Apollo sighed. "So, did you tell Ema you weren't cheating on her, then?"

"Of course! But she refused to believe me."

"So if you told her , why didn't she believe you?"

"It is because she saw me with April May, that woman with th _hässlich _pink hair. We were out a party, and I happened to run into her. We started talking about Herr White, but after a few drinks we started dancing.../" Klavier trailed off, then took another swallow.

"I thought your relationship with April was platonic?"

"It is. To me, anyway." Klavier paused, then sighed. "She's been trying to get with me even before Ema and I were married, but I was never interested in women like her."

"So why are you still hanging around with her now?"

Klavier reached for his drink again, but decided otherwise. "It is because...she is good friends with Herr White. She curries favor with him for me, ja? Any friend of his April will surely bring out his rarer, kinder, side. Otherwise, she is unbearable company."

"Why didn't you just tell Ema that? And what's so special about this Mr. White, anyway?"

"Herr Justice." Klavier replied. "You must believe what I am about to tell you right now."

Apollo nodded, wondering why Klavier's gaze was suddenly so intense. The rock star leaned across the table, and spoke in a hushed whisper.

"I cannot tell Ema anything. I cannot tell her about why I am with April, why I meet with Herr White, and where I am going. And this has nothing to with her thinking I am cheating._ Nein_, it is for a completely different reason. You must believe me when I say it is only to protect her." He paused for a moment, just staring into Apollo's eyes. Suddenly he leaned even closer, and Apollo leaned back away from him. "And when you do tell Mr. Wright about this, you have to make him promise not to mention this to Ema. Not one word. This is now just between you, me, and Herr Wright, understand?"

"I-I got it." Apollo could smell the alcohol on his breath, and hoped that Klavier was done with the drinks. As if he heard his thoughts (and wanted to spite him for it0 , Klavier drank the rest of his martini and was already pulling another girl over to order another.

"Mr. Gavin," Apollo asked uneasily "Haven't you had enough to drink tonight?"

"Just one more drink, ja?"

"You really shouldn't be driving, then."

"I will be fine, Herr Justice. I will have one drink, and we can each go our separate ways for now, ja? Besides, I don't even feel a little buzzed."


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: This was supposed to be up a few days ago, but sadly I hurt my elbow, and it's been really uncomfortable when I try to type and edit. :( sorry about that guys! Not to mention school's been a hassle as well, hopefully I can keep up fairly fast updates, which I wasn't so good at doing on the kink meme. orz**_

One more drink turned into two, then three, then four more. Before Apollo knew it, Klavier had become completely intoxicated, and completely unable of driving.

"I tell you, Herr Justice, I am... just fine!" The rock star slurred, digging in his pocket for his keys.

"Mr. Gavin, there is no way I am letting you drive."

"What? Why not?" Klavier said in a near-whine as he searched more fervently for his keys.

Apollo sighed. When he agreed to assist Mr. Wright in helping the Gavins, he never thought it would lead to this. "Being a chauffeur wasn't part of the deal...I think." Apollo murmured, grabbing his own keys from his pocket. Apollo slid out the booth, then reached over to grab Klavier's busily searching hand.

"Come on, I'll take you home." Apollo said, helping Klavier out of the booth.

"Herr Justice, why is the floor spinning? It wasn't," Klavier hiccuped, "it wasn't doing that earlier."

Apollo slung one of Klavier's arm over his shoulder. "Yeah, well, it'll stop once we get outside."

Apollo practically dragged the rock star outside, with the latter mumbling nonsensically all the way. He had tuned him out, but was still becoming increasinly irritated with Klavier's drunken droning. Almost as if half-carrying a drunken man around wasn't enough, Apollo noted that the cold air had turned misty with drizzle. He looked up to see dark rain clouds forming in the night sky, promising to bring heavier rain.

"That's just perfect," Apollo muttered as he helped Klavier into the car.

Apollo entered his car, glancing at the source of his irritation before starting the engine. That's when he realized he had no idea had to get to Klavier's house.

"Ah, Mr. Gavin, could you...?" He trailed off as soon as he heard sounds of snoring coming from the right.

Apollo turned towards Klavier, and his suspicions were confirmed. He had fallen asleep- well, more like passed out, really, and Apollo had no idea what to do with him. He didn't think it'd be a good idea to take Klavier back to his place, but he couldn't just abandon him in the parking lot, either.

Apollo drove out of the red light district, wondering where he could take the drunken rock star. He noticed his hands had tightened on the steering wheel, and loosened his grip. He was getting deeper and deeper into the Gavins business, and now he couldn't see a way out of it. What exactly was Klavier doing that was so secret that he couldn't even tell his wife? It all sounded like bad business to Apollo, but what could he do? Mr. Wright had told him this whole thing would help him somehow, but Apollo seriously begin to doubt the credibility of that claim.

Apollo roused himself from his musings long enough to notice a motel off to his left. He pulled up into the parking lot, and roughly shook Klavier's shoulder, trying to see if he really was passed out to the point of immobility, or just enjoying a nice snooze at Apollo's expense.

Klavier opened his eyes slowly, and gave Apollo a sidelong glance.

"Mmm...Herr Justice?" Klavier asked slowly, working the words out carefully around his drunken tongue. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere you're staying for the night." Apollo said before he got out the car. He walked around to the passenger's side to help Klavier on his feet. "Come on," he said, slinging Klavier's arm around his shoulder.

Apollo managed to get Klavier inside the motel, and sat him down on a chair in the reception area. He looked around, but saw no receptionist. He went up to the desk, ringing the bell a few times. When the receptionist still didn't come, he decided he would try something else. He looked at the name of the receptionist on the plaque placed on the desk, and called out.

"Miss Nichols! Miss Nichols, are you here?"

There was a quick shuffling of feet, then a young, rather plain looking girl with glasses ran out of a door to the left. "I'm so sorry, sir, I didn't even hear you ring." She said, sounding flustered.

"That's all right. I just-" The girl cut him off with a gasp.

"Is that...is that Klavier Gavin?" She asked, pointing at the man in purple nearly slumped over in a chair.

Apollo glanced quickly over at Klavier, then back at Miss Nichols. "Yes, but-"

"Is he okay? What happened. Why is he here? Shouldn't he-?"

"Miss Nichols," Apollo cut in exasperatedly. "He's had a long night. And so have I." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, then thumbed through money inside. "I can give you fifty dollars if you keep this a secret from anyone, even your friends. Please?"

Miss Nichols regarded the wallet in his hands for a while, before she shook her head. "It's okay, you don't have to bribe me. I won't tell anybody, either. Your secret is safe with me." She headed over to the desk and opened up a small check-in book. "How long is he staying for?"

"Just for tonight."

"Are you paying, or is he?"

"...I guess I am."

Miss Nichols gave him the price for an overnight stay, and Apollo raised an eyebrow. The price seemed a little to expensive just for one night, but he said nothing. Maybe she did intend to gain some extra cash for keeping that secret.

Once he had the room number and key, Apollo once again had to help Klavier walk. The man mumbled protests about how he was fine, now; but when Apollo let him try to walk his own, he could hardly keep up in a straight line.

Thankfully, they managed to get to the room without Klavier falling on his face. Apollo unlocked the door and turned on the light. He grimaced once he got a good look around. It was grimy, and looked like it hadn't been aired out in a while, and that stain on the wall made him slightly suspicious. He moved over to the bed, and Klavier practically fell on it, a moan escaping him as he hit the mattress. Apollo headed into the bathroom warily, and wet a cloth with cold water. _This should sober him up a bit...then I can get home..."_ He hoped. He squeezed out the towel and headed into the main room, and saw that Klavier had moved a hand to cover his eyes.

"Is the light bothering you?" Apollo asked. He got no answer, so he tried again. "I could just turn on the bed-stand light. They're usually sort of dimmer than the overhead ones."

When Klavier still didn't give an answer, he edged closer over to him. "I bought you a cold towel, if you need it."

"I am a bad husband, Herr Justice." Apollo blinked, surprised. He waited to see if the rock star would elaborate, but he said nothing.

"Mr. Gavin, you're not-"

_Nein,_ Herr Justice, I am. You don't know...you don't know what I did to her..."

"Mr. Gavin..." Apollo started, but Klavier stopped him before he could finish.

"I don't want to hear any 'that's not true', or 'you're being to hard on yourself'. You don't know. I...almost..." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "I threw a vase Herr Justice, in anger. And she was terrified. Her face was so pale, and her eyes so full of fear. What kind of man does that to his wife?

Klavier sat up as he removed his hands from his eyes. Puffy red eyes and glistening cheeks confirmed Apollo's suspicions that he had been crying.

"Mr. Gavin, I still don't think that makes you bad husband."

There was a long silence between the two. Klavier sat with his hands in his lap, his head down to stare at them. Apollo merely looked around the room, seemingly interested in the sparse amount of furniture.

"I threw a vase..." Klavier said slowly. "It didn't hit her, but...it could have. I could have...have hit Ema." He ran a hand through his hair, then looked at Apollo. His eyes looked moist, as if fresh tears were ready to spring from them again.

Apollo didn't know what to say. He really wasn't good with these kind of situations; not that he often encountered them.

"I really don't know what to say," Apollo admitted honestly. "Or if I have any right to really say anything. But Mr. Gavin...I _really_ don't believe your a bad husband. I know you love your wife very much, and that you would do anything to protect her and keep her out of harm's way." Apollo paused. "I mean, sure you've made a mistake-well, a few mistakes,- but love isn't perfect. You're not a bad husband, just one that's a little rough around the edges. There's no way on this earth you would've hurt Ema, so you have to stop telling yourself that. "

Klavier stared at him. "How can you assume all this about somebody you've only known for a few hours?"

"I've been known to be very...intuitive." Out of habit, Apollo began to rub the thick, gold bracelet he had around his wrist. When he realized what he was doing, he stopped and shrugged. "I guess I'm just very good at reading people. I can read you very well, Mr. Gavin. You're head over heels for you wife, and I believe that you two can get past this."

Unexpectedly, Klavier began to laugh. "You are a very interesting man, Herr Justice." He inhaled deeply, calming himself down. "Thank you." He said softly. Apollo nodded, fidgeting nervously at his bracelet again.

Klavier sighed, then lay back down on his back. "Also, thanks for paying for the room. I really appreciate that." Apollo nodded again. For a moment, Apollo wondered if he would remember any of this in the morning.

"Well, I guess I should get going." Apollo announced as he rose from the bed and headed to the door. Just as his hand touched the doorknob, Klavier spoke up.

"Hey, Herr Justice. You remember, right? This is just between you, me and Herr Wright, ja? You will not say anything to Ema?"

"Yeah, of course. When the time comes for you to tell her, you can explain everything to her. It's not really my place to say anything, anyway. "

Klavier smiled; the first real smile he'd had since having the fight with Ema. "Thank you."

"Sleep tight, Mr. Gavin." Apollo said as he opened the door. If Klavier replied, he didn't hear it. He'd already stepped outside into the now pouring rain.

When Apollo got to his car, he didn't start it right away. He wanted to think. Think about all this, that is. Once again, he found himself wondering why he had gotten himself into such a personal situation. Klavier was right. They had only known each other for a few hours, and Apollo hadn't even met Ema yet! This was none of his business, but here he was, sticking his nose into the Gavins marital problems. And why? For a lying, sketchy, ex-attorney that he couldn't even trust? That he also really didn't know? He felt like a puppet, be being pulled by invisible strings against his will. Yet cheering Gavin up somewhat seemed to make up for all that incessant pulling.

He shook his head, futilely trying to clear it, and started the car. The engine revved to life, and he drove out of the parking lot onto the slippery streets. During the entire ride to his apartment, he couldn't stop thinking about the little card crumpled into his pocket. The official business card of the Wright Anything Agency. He sighed, and tried not to think about his impending visit he would have to give to Mr. Wright.

"Well, at least tomorrow should be interesting." He muttered, and prayed that the rain would at least let up by then.


	11. Chapter 11

"Wright Anything Agency, suite 3C.." Apollo mumbled as he trudged up the stairs. It didn't seem any warmer in the office building than t it was outside, but at least his nose wasn't running anymore. Apollo listened to the stairs creak underneath his feet, and looked at the cracks threading through the walls. It surprised him that Mr. Wright had stayed here while he was a lawyer; if he was as ace as he remembered, he should have at least had a more prestigious (and warmer) office of his own.

He wasted no time once he found the right door. As soon as he saw the plaque that hosted the words "Wright's Anything Agency", he knocked loudly at the door. His patience ran thin when no one answered.

"Mr Wright!" He yelled, his knuckles still rapping. He was just about ready to kick in the door when it opened, and it certainly wasn't Mr. Wright who greeted him.

Standing before him was the oddest trio of girls he had ever seen.

His eyes were first drawn to the teenager wearing a blue magician's outfit, a top hat neatly placed on her head. To Apollo's horror, she held a pair of bright blue bloomers with pink heart in her hands. Another girl, hiding behind her even though she was taller, caught his attention with her kimono and what Apollo could only categorize as pretzel shaped bun. The last girl had long black hair tied back in a high ponytail, held together with a giant hair accessory in the shape of a key, and sporting a blue scarf with a gold brooch.

Apollo stared at them, and they at him. No one moved, except for the pretzel-haired girl who kept shifting from foot to foot.

Finally, he cleared his throat, ready to break the silence, but the magician spoke first.

"Are you here to see Daddy?" She asked, her blue eyes looking very serious for such a strange question.

"Uh...that depends. Is your daddy Mr. Wright?"

The magician smiled broadly. "Yes, he is! He's a little busy right now-he's cleaning the toilet-but I can just tell him you're here. Come on, Pearly, let's go." She grabbed the pretzel-haired girl's hand and entered back into the office. The black-haired girl still stood at the door a moment longer, then decided to go follow the other two.

Apollo hesitantly stepped a foot inside the office, and once he got a good look around, thought he might have found the wrong place after all.

It looked less like an office, and more like a storehouse full of magical props. There was a desk near the back covered in magical doo-dads, and the couch housed a giant (and to Apollo, unsettling) wooden puppet; if it weren't for the law books on the bookshelf, he would have never believed this place was once a law office. He stumbled over another's magician's hat, and then over a box filled with confetti, and was almost flat on his face because of the many brightly colored boxes. He was about to call out for Mr. Wright to rescue him, when the magician grabbed his arm to help him steady.

"Sorry about the mess," she said. "I have a show later at the Wonder Bar, and I just can't find all of my props!"

Apollo was about to ask her what in the world a wonder bar was before she spoke up again.

"My name's Trucy! And this is Kay," she explained, gesturing towards the girl with they key in her hair. Kay have an exaggerated flourish of her scarf before declaring "The great Yatagarusu, at your service!"

"The..the great what?" Apollo stammered.

"The girl trying to hide over by the desk is Pearl," Trucy said. "Come on, Pearl, come over and say hi." The kimono-clad girl slowly made her way towards the other two, then gave Apollo a shy nod of her head.

Trucy extended a gloved hand towards Apollo. "It's nice to meet you, Mr...um..."

"Apollo Justice." He replied, extending his own hand.

Pearl let out a gasp. "You mean... Apollo Justice the author?" She squeaked.

_"Somehow this seems familiar."_ Apollo thought. "That's right," He said aloud. "I'm guessing you've read my book?"

Pearl's face immediately flushed, her hands lightly pressing against her warm cheeks. "Of course I've read it! It's wonderful! Ah, everything about it almost reminds me about Mr. Nick's and Mystic Maya's love. Well, except that your main character's a detective and his love is a news reporter, but _still. _It's so amazing, I re-read it as much as possible. When they first kissed after cracking the hardest case of his career, I, ah! It was just wonderful, oh and-"

"You've done it now." Kay said, rolling her eyes.

"You get Pearl started on romance," Trucy began, "she won't stop. "And eventually the conversation will turn back towards my daddy and her cousin Maya. Though I wouldn't object to having a new Mommy around here."

"...reminds me of the time Mr. Nick crossed a burning bridge for Mystic Maya!" Pearl trailed on. 'A burning bridge! If that isn't true love, I don't know what love is! Doesn't that sound like love to you, Mr. Justice?"

"Well," Apollo cleared his throat. "I uh, certainly think Mr. Wright is _devoted _to this Maya."

"Is that so? That's an interesting conclusion, Justice." Apollo turned to see Mr. Wright leaning against the wall near the restroom. "I've never heard you talk so much to a stranger before, Pearls. I guess it's good your breaking out of that clam of yours." He chuckled.

Pearl gasped, her face turning redder. "I...I'm so sorry, Mr. Justice!"

"There's no need to apologize!" Apollo reassured. "I'm glad you like my book and well, romance in general."

"All right girls, time to shuffle." Mr. Wright said. "Trucy, you go find your things to get ready for your show." Trucy gave her father a salute a before diving back into the boxes scattered across the floor. "Kay, you go and give Mr. Edgeworth a call back, and put back anything you stole." To Apollo's horror, the girl pulled out a small pair of keys from inside her scarf and handed them back to Mr. Wright before reaching for her phone. "And Pearls, Maya said she'd be over to visit soon. Can you help me tidy so I don't get a lecture again? Oh, and don't forget to water Charlie!"

Phoenix waited until he saw all the girls engrossed in their tasks before turning towards Apollo. "Now," he started. "I think you and I need to have a chat."

"Oh, we need to have a chat, all right, Mr. Wright." Apollo said curtly. "You know, it's funny how you never mentioned your name on the phone. Or at the restaurant."

Phoenix smirked. "Come on, Justice, it's not like I was keeping it a top-secret. My name's right there on my business card."

"It would've been nice to know who you were_ before_ that, you know. Instead of giving me some phony name like Nick."

"I've gone by the name Nick for years." Phoenix shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "I think you're making a big deal out of nothing."

"Nothing? How can hiding your identity from me be considered nothing? After what I did for you?"

"You didn't really do it for me, per se, but for the Gavins.

"Oh, cut it out," Apollo yelled. "You know what I mean!"

"Keep it down, Justice." Apollo was about to do just the opposite of that before he saw the girls staring worriedly at him. He smiled reassuring at them, and for a moment they stood unseasy before they busied themselves again.

"Maybe we should talk about this outside." Phoenix suggested, opening the front door.

Apollo nodded, and followed him into the cold hallway.

_**A/n: Sorry about taking so long. This week has been completely cray, and I haven't had much time to write. Plus, I had to re-write almost the entire chapter. The first draft was a bad with a capital wow-I-can't-believe-I-actually-wrote-that. This chapter is still very rushed, but hopefully you guys like it ^_^**_


	12. Chapter 12

So," Phoenix started as he leaned against the door.

Apollo didn't give him a chance. "You didn't have to keep your identity from me, you know. You could have just told me who you were from the beginning. "

"Oh, really? Is that right?" Mr. Wright replied wryly, his mouth twisted into a mirthless smile.

"That's right. It would have been very easy to tell me who you were over the phone." Apollo asserted. "And don't tell me you weren't trying to hide it from me. You can say you gae me your business card, but you ran as soon as I got a good look at it.

Mr. Wright hardly looked at him the entire time he was talking, seeming pointedly more interested in the wall behind Apollo instead. After he finished talking, Mr. Wright's eyes suddenly snapped back into focus, and he gave Apollo a steady stare.

"You finished?" Mr. Wright asked, and Apollo could feel his face growing hotter. Not from embarrassment, no, but from anger. At times, times-the man seemed nearly unbearable.

Mr. Wright didn't even wait for Apollo's curt nod, indicating the ex-attorney now had a chance to speak.

"You remember when all the news had to talk about about was how Phoenix Wright, LA's ace attorney, managed to fall into such disgrace with his forging?"

Apollo raised an eyebrow. "Yes, of course I remember."

"Exactly, Justice. Everybody remembers." Mr. Wright didn't give Apollo a chance to reply. "And do you remember when this fallen attorney went through countless interviews, and even went so far as to make public appearances on television, trying to prove his innocence?"

"Mr. Wright..."

"Did anyone believe him? Anybody at all?"

Apollo shook his head slowly.

"Because no one would trust him, right?" Mr. Wright took his hands out of his pocket, and extended his arm to place a hand on Apollo's shoulder.

"Even today, people still don't believe me. But I'm not going to give you a sob story. I'm going to make a point."

"I think I already see where this is going."

Mr. Wright's eyes stared hard into his. "Then answer me this. If I had told you I was Phoenix Wright from the start, would you have listened to me? At all?"

"No," Apollo sighed, breaking the eye contact between them. "I wouldn't have."

"All right, no need to look so down, Justice. Now that we've got that out the way, why don't you tell me what happened with you and Klavier?"

"Well, he told me the fight started with a misunderstanding he and Ema had a party. That's when Ema started to believe he was cheating on her. He told me he wasn't, though, but I had kind od a hard time believing him." Apollo said. "After a while though, he got pretty drunk. I had to drop him off at a motel. All that liquor loosened up his tongue, and he seemed to sound really upset about what happened between them." Apollo was about to mention what happened with Klavier and the vase, but decided to keep quiet. He knew Klavier didn't want to hurt Ema, and there was no need for Mr. Wright to become suspicious about that. 'Personally, I don't believe he was actually cheating on her at this point; he seems to really care about her, and regrets hurting her feelings."

Mr. Wright nodded. "Anything else happen?"

"Umm..Not really." Apollo paused, mentally going over all the events of last night. "I can't really…oh! Wait, I remember! Before I met up with Klavier in the club, he was with some girl named April, and really big man with purple hair…his name was Mr. White, I think."

Phoenix's eyes widened, yet took on a sudden ferocity at the same time. "Mr. White? Did you manage to get his first name?" Phoenix shook his head. "No, never mind," he muttered. "I only know one guy with purple hair with that name…"

Apollo raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

"Exactly what were Mr. White and Klavier talking about?"

"I didn't hear. I got there near the end of their conversation. All I know is that Klavier gave him a lot of money for…something. I don't know."

Phoenix put his hands in his pocket, and his lips pursed in concentration. "What else, Justice?" He spoke quickly. "What else happened?"

"Um... He made me promise to make sure you didn't tell Ema anything, something about protecting her."

"Promise not to tell her what?"

"About Mr. White." There was a short pause as Phoenix looked at him expectantly, and Apollo only managed to shift his feet. Finally, he said "That's all the information I've got, Mr. Wright."

Phoenix nodded as if he knew that all along. "I really appreciate this, Justice. You have no idea how much you're helped."

"Yeah, well…" Apollo trailed off, not really knowing what to say. What was there to say? He was finished. He had finished doing what Wright had asked him to do, and now he could go home. However, those thoughts couldn't stop the question that came out of his mouth.

"Exactly what am I helping you to do, anyway?"

It was Phoenix's turn to raise an eyebrow, now. "What, you mean you haven't figured it out yet? You're helping Ema and Klavier back together."

Apollo sighed. "I had a strong feeling you were gonna say that. Look, Mr. Wright, I'm glad I could help you and everything, but…but I don't want to get too involved with the Gavins." When Phoenix didn't say anything, Apollo turned towards the stairs. "I mean, I wish the best for them, and everything. But I really don't think I'm cut out for this."

Before Apollo could even take a step down the stairs, Phoenix spoke up behind him. "I read your book, Justice."

Apollo turned back around, staring at Phoenix as if he had suddenly donned a second beanie. "E-excuse me?"

"A few months ago. I saw your book in a store, and picked it up on a whim." Phoenix walked over to Apollo and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You understand people, Justice. You understand their emotions, moods, what makes them tick. And you get love, you get how people deal with it, or even don't deal with it."

"Mr. Wright-"

"So you can stand here and tell me you're not cut out for this, give up, and walk away. Or you could stay, help a young couple in trouble, and prove me right for believing in you.

When Apollo could find his voice again, it came out as a whisper. "You…you couldn't have gauged that all from reading my book…"

"Of course not. That's why I wanted to meet you in your person. Your book raised my suspicions, but you proved them right."

"But how-"

"You managed to get Klavier to talk to you. You managed to get him to tell you what happened, and express his worries, and guilt, and everything on his mind. And you only knew him for about two hours. I think you're just the man for the job."

Apollo turned around to face Phoenix. His eyes were intent on him, searching, waiting for a response.

"But…he was drunk. He probably won't even remember any of it. It was just a drunken fluke, a mistake. Nothing special happened, Mr. Wright, nothing that makes me 'right for the job.'"

Phoenix moved his hand from Apollo's shoulder. The two men were silent for a moment, Apollo rubbing his hands to keep them from getting cold. Phoenix broke the silence first.

"I'm a real simple guy. Real simple. Even when I was lawyer, simple cases always seemed like they'd be more fitted for me than those twisted, complex murder cases. And now that I'm not a lawyer, I chose a real simple job, something easy. I'm a piano player at a little Russian restaurant not to far from here. I play a few tunes on the piano, the customers are happy, and I get some money to support myself and my daughter. Easy."

Slowly, Phoenix pulled out a neatly stacked deck of playing cards from the pocket of his hoodie. "But you know, sometimes simple isn't the best thing. Simple doesn't always get my bills paid and my daughter fed." Phoenix shuffled the cards, his gaze never leaving Apollo's face. "Do you know what my second job is, Justice? The one that really puts money in my pocket and food on the table?"

Apollo shook his head.

"I play poker. Underground poker, actually. It's not the most honest business, but it helps out a lot." Phoneix re-shuffled the deck again.

"I've never lost, you know. Not once. I have this special 'charm' I take with me, and it's never failed me once. But I'm not trying to brag. What I'm trying to say though, is even though I've never lost, it doesn't mean that the job is easy.

"And easy may be comfortable, but sometimes it's not the best thing. It's the more difficult things in life that help you accomplish something. Walking away from this would be easy, comfortable. And I'll admit, staying and helping would be a lot more difficult. But in the end, if you do stay, it really will be worth all the trouble."

Apollo was quiet for a long time, absorbing everything Phoenix had said.

"This…this is crazy, Mr. Wright. And honestly, I've tried to pull myself out of this a long time ago. But, I don't think I can anymore. Ever since I made the choice to meet you at Gummy's Burgers, I've felt like I'm being pulled by strings I just can't cut. I see where you're coming from, with the whole…poker thing, but…" Apollo paused. He didn't know what else to say. The way Mr. Wright was looking at him made his tongue freeze. There was a look in his eyes that he couldn't quite place.

Apollo took a deep breath and continued on. "I don't think I really have a choice anymore. I'll stay. I'll stay to help the Gavins get back together. But what exactly is it that you want me to do anyway? Sit them down and talk to them like I'm some sort of marriage counselor?"

Phoenix smiled, and smoothly slid the cards back into his pocket. "Actually," he began. "I want you to attend a party."


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N Thanks so much for the reviews, you guys! They mean a lot to me! ^_^ This chapter may be a little subpar, because I'm currently working out the kinks in my writing (that's what happens when you don't write for a year and a half) Now, here's hoping you enjoy my shoddy attempt at some Apollo/Vera. **_

By the time Apollo was back outside, he was more confused than ever. He stood by his car and stared at the flyer in his hand, watching the drizzle slightly mix the colors together.

**_'Come One, Come all, To Mask DeMasque's Grand Ball!'_**The flier proclaimed in bold colors of green, red and gold.

In the center of the flier was a silver face mask with the mouth cut away to expose the actual mouth of the wearer. At the very bottom was basic information, informing Apollo that the 'Grand Ball' would take place on Saturday at seven P.M, in the Gatewater Hotel, with special entertainment provided by the cast of the Berry Big Circus, and other information.

Apollo looked up from the flier and looked across the street, staring straight at the Gatewater Hotel. He drifted off, recalling the conversation he had just finished with Mr. Wright.

_ "An old friend of mine is hosting a party."_ Phoenix had explained, as if knowing a once infamous public icon was no big deal whatsoever.

_"I'm inviting Ema and Klavier . Not together, so they won't know the other is coming. I want you to come , but you don't have to talk to them if you don't want to. Hold on, Justice. Before you ask, let me explain. I want you to come, and just watch them. And if you see something that you know isn't right, then you speak if you feel the need to speak." _

_ "What if they see each other? I mean, if they see each other, they probably won't even talk. "_ Apollo asked.

_"You let me worry about that, Justice." _

_ "But Mr. Wright, I don't-"_

_ "It's all right, Justice. Everything will turn out just fine."_

With that, Phoenix had handed him a flyer, and sent him on his way. In addition to the flyer, Phoenix gave him enough money for the entry fee.

Apollo tore his gaze away from the flyer long enough to get in his car, and drive back to his apartment. His mind was whirring about what he was going to tell Vera, or if he was going to tell her at all. He couldn't just disappear randomly on Saturday, especially with telling Vera.

Apollo's thoughts drifted toward Vera. They'd been dating for a while now-their two year anniversary was coming up soon- and Apollo was considering proposing to her soon. He loved her, and he knew she loved him back, but it was the lack of money that concerned him. _"What if I can't take care of her?"_ He thought anxiously. It's not like Vera was high maintenance, but it did cost a bit of money for her paused as he pulled up into the parking structure of their apartment. Apollo had to tell Vera about everything-there was no way he could continue to hide this from her now. _"Besides,_" He thought, _"I know from watching the Gavins that a relationship full of lies and evasions won't work out in the end."_ If he was serious about marrying Vera, he had to tell her truth.

When he stepped inside the apartment, he found Vera on the couch, wrapped up tightly in a blanket and sniffing softly, sketching something on her drawing pad.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked, moving warily towards the couch.

She turned to face him, then quickly grabbed a tissue from a box next to her and wiped her nose. "I think I caught daddy's cold." She replied, sniffing again for emphasis.

Apollo sighed, then sat down next to her on the couch. "I'm not going to be here this Saturday." He admitted quickly, shifting his position get a better look at her face.

Vera regarded him curiously. "Where are you going?"

"Actually, before that…I'm going to be honest with you."

Apollo saw concern flicker in her eyes. "Is everything all right, Apollo?" She asked, setting down her unfinished sketch.

"Yeah, everything is fine. It's just…" Apollo paused, then took a deep breath. "You remember that 'editor' I've been talking about? Well, he's not really an editor. He's an ex-attorney, and he's got me roped up in a little situation I don't think I'll be able to pull out of anymore."

It surprised Apollo how Vera took in everything he told her. She seemed a little upset at first, but the more he explained the calmer she seemed to be, as if saving the marriage of a celebrity couple was nothing really to worry about.

"About that ball," she said after he finished, "I can help you pick out a suit later, when I'm feeling better."

Apollo raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I mean, the nearest tailor shop is a ways from here..."

"It's okay," she gave him a soft smile. "I managed to make it to Daddy's house okay, didn't I?" She paused, and fidgeted with the sleeve of her shirt. "I...I really want to try to get better Apollo. I'm trying really hard. For you. So I won't...so I'm not..." She trailed off, her gaze suddenly cast downwards toward her fidgeting hands.

Apollo reached his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "Hey," he said "we talked about this before, remember? You're_ not_ a burden to me." Apollo said , finishing her sentence." You could never be a burden to me. Take all the time you need to get better, and don't worry; you're making so much progress." Vera looked at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Now, don't cry." Apollo said gently, squeezing her tighter.

"It's just...I'm sorry." Vera said, wiping her eyes. "I know it's troublesome to have a girlfriend who can never go out to a restaurant, or take a simple walk in the park, or really do anything..." She quickly reached for a tissue, trying to dry her cheeks, now damp with tears. "It took me a long time just to move in with you...and that made me feel...just..." Vera took a deep breath to stop her voice from wavering. "And that got me thinking, what if we decide to get married, and I can't even walk down the aisle? I don't think I would be able to-"

Apollo hushed her, and kissed her gently on her lips; they were slightly chapped from her fever, but at the moment he didn't care. "Then we'd get married right here in the apartment," he breathed in between kisses. "I love you, Vera. Where we get married doesn't matter to me; the only thing that matters is you. Besides, you don't have to worry about that;" he said, lightly stoking her cheek. "you're going to get better and better, and be able to do anything and everything you want." He lightly kissed her forehead. "So don't worry, okay?"

Vera smiles hesitantly, before pulling him down into another kiss; they stayed like that for a long while, listening to the rain thrumming against the window pane. Suddenly Vera pulled herself away, covering her mouth and letting out a loud sneeze.

Apollo smiles. "How about some soup?" He offers, standing from the couch. Vera picks up her sketch pad, and quickly draws a face with a beaming smile. "Sound perfect."


	14. Chapter 14

The ball was all the buzz in Los Angeles. Anybody who was anybody would be at this party, and Ema did not want to be grouped in with that "anybody." Yet here she was, in the ballroom of the Gatewater Hotel, at Mask de Masque ball's. Ema reached into her purse to reach for a bag of her favorite comfort food, only to remember she had left her bag of Snackoo's at home. She sighed.

Phoenix gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You really do look beautiful tonight, Ema. Black, I think, is a really good color on you."

"Thanks, Phoenix." She replied with a smile. Despite the compliment he gave her, she felt under dressed, wearing only long, plain black dress with a simple silver pin to put up her hair, while everyone else was wearing something that looked as if it cost over a measly forty dollars . She sighed, realizing that once again she was out-of-place; but Phoenix basically begged her to come. A 'friendly date', he had called it. Ema trusted Phoenix enough to know he wouldn't try anything fishy, but it didn't make any sense why he wanted her to come so badly.

The hour passed quickly for Ema. She stood around, feeling as awkward as she believed she looked. She made the occasional small talk with Phoenix and watched the circus perform, but it didn't take long for her to get bored. As soon as the circus had finished with their last act for the night and patrons headed back to the floor, Phoenix announced that he had to go.

"Go?" Ema asked worriedly. She really didn't want to be left here alone. "Are you leaving?"

"No, no." Phoenix assured her. "It's just another friend of mine is supposed to be here tonight, and I haven't seen him."

"Mr. Edgeworth?"

"No, not Edgeworth. Another friend of mine." Phoenix paused for a moment, looking as if he was lost in thought. Suddenly he laughed. "I think our friendship might be a bit one-sided though."

"What?"

"It's nothing Ema, I'll be right back." He said , then entered into the crowd of people, looking for his mysterious friend.

Ema sat down at one of the set-up tables, and began to drum her fingers restlessly. She wasn't feeling so hot tonight, but despite her protests Phoenix still pushed her to come; when she asked why, he had just smirked and told her it'd be worth it. "_He's__so cryptic now a days, but I guess his heart is still in the right place."_ Ema thought, a small smile tugging at her lips. He probably wanted to cheer her up, after the debacle with Klavier, and everything else that had happened in the short time since then. But big events like this just really weren't her thing.

After about twenty minutes of sitting restless at the table, she noticed that Phoenix still hadn't come back. Ema couldn't help but feel a little irritated. She thought about waiting bit longer, but thought better of it as she stood up. She had just grabbed her purse, ready to leave, when the lights suddenly dimmed. All the music had stopped, and a hush fell over the entire dining hall. Suddenly a voice came over the speakers.

"Ladies and Gentleman, we apologize for the interruption, but someone in the audience has requested a special dance."

Ema looked around, confused. A special dance? She had a sinking feeling that this had something to do with Phoenix.

Everything began to move quickly. People began to shuffle, picking up this and that before moving away to leave a complete clearing in the middle of the hall. Ema was about to walk out the large ballroom, when suddenly the spotlight fell directly on her. She froze.

She could feel every eye on her, waiting for her next move. Slowly, she turned around, putting a hand on her chest to hopefully somehow calm her racing heart. However, what she saw facing her only caused her heart to beat even faster.

It was Klavier Gavin, standing in the clearing, arm outstretched toward her, inviting her for a very special dance.

"Ema?" He asked softly. His blue eyes looked into hers pleadingly, waiting for a response. Ema hesitated, but decided to reach out her hand towards him. She realized her hands were trembling, but Klavier smiled reassuringly, pulling her close to him, their bodies pressed again each other.

When the music started up again, they immediately fell into the rhythm. He glided her across the dance floor gracefully, gently, as if nothing between them had changed. She became tense as the song played on, remembering suddenly the anger Klavier had shown that night no more than a few weeks ago. Ema slowed her movements, attempting to pull away without making a scene, but Klavier only held her tighter.

"Ema," he whispered "I'm sorry; I'm so sorry, mein liebe."

Ema looked down, unable to look him in the eyes. "I want to forgive you, Klavier, I do. But I don't think I can trust you until you tell me the truth. What made you explode that night? What are you hiding?"

Klavier continued to guide her on the dance floor, but left her question unanswered.

"Klavier." Ema said more firmly. She gained enough resolve to look at his face. She expected to see anger in his eyes again, but she only saw sadness that shattered her heart.

"Why are you keeping secrets?" Ema asked frantically. "Just when I maybe we can go back to normal, you …I…" Ema tried to blink away the tears in her eyes. "I just want you to trust me, I want you to tell me what's bothering you, I-"

She paused as she felt hot tears streaking down her face. She took a deep, shaky breath, then continued. "I'm your wife, and I love you more than anything in the world. So why?" She asked, her voice faltering. "Why don't you trust me?"

"Ema," Klavier said gently, shaking his head sadly, "I…I think it's you who does not trust me."

Ema jerked away from his grasp, her eyes wide in disbelief. The music had stopped, and she heard the mumbling of the curious onlookers in the crowd. Ema shivered slightly. The lights, the music, the furtive glances and whispering-it all reminded her of that night, the night that had started this whole thing. She bit her lip, trying to stifle a sob, and wiped futilely at her cheeks to stop the tears from falling.

Klavier looked at her apologetically, concern in his eyes. He took a step forward towards her, and without even thinking she took an involuntary step back. The muttering in the crowd was getting louder, and suddenly Ema felt claustrophobic and dizzy, even in the large ball room. She looked around at the faces surrounding her, all of them blurred through her tears. Ema dashed out of the hotel, running so fast that one of her heels nearly broke, the silver pin in her hair clattering on the ground.


	15. Chapter 15

Apollo stared with his mouth hanging slightly open. He couldn't believe what he'd just seen; Mr. Wright had assured them that the dance was going to help the Gavins relationship somehow- not completely of course, but maybe mend it a little-but instead it turned into a complete disaster. Apollo turned towards Mr. Wright, waiting for an answer, but only received silence in return.

"Mr. Wright," Apollo started, "You…I thought…" He trailed off, waiting for an explanation. Nothing. "I thought you said this was going to help the Gavins. That didn't look like help to me."

"Looks are deceiving, Justice." Phoenix finally replied, turning his attention to the flustered author.

"Looks can-Look here, Mr. Wright, I know you like being cryptic and all, but this time I really want an-"

"There's no explanation to give just yet, because your job isn't done."

"Did you see what just happened?" Apollo asked incredulously. "She ran away! I don't really know what happened, but it looks like things aren't getting any better for them."

"Really?" Phoenix said, a smirk spreading across his first. "Well, why don't you go outside and check up on them. See for yourself."

Apollo eyed the ex-attorney angrily. "Fine, you win. I'll go out there and watch this fall to pieces. I don't know what you're trying to prove here, but I think...I think their relationship might be over."

"Nothing's ever over. I believe that anything can rise from the ashes."

With replying, Apollo stormed out the ball room and into the main foyer. He scanned the area for the distraught couple, but didn't see a sign of them. He headed for the main entrance of the hotel and stepped outside, into the cool night.

It was there he found a sobbing Ema sitting on the sidewalk, her face buried in her hands. Klavier was hovering over her, sheepishly trying to decide whether to place his hand on her back. Before he got the chance, Ema uncovered her face and shot a glare at him that made even Apollo froze.

"I can't believe you said that," She said, shaking her head back and forth, as if she was trying to shake the remembered phrase out of her head.

"I did not mean for it to be hurtful, Ema," Klavier apologized. "But…I just want things to be right with us again."

"Then what did you mean by saying I didn't trust you?

"You accuse me of cheating. Why do you think I would do something like that to you? Do you trust me so little that you think I would betray you like that?"

"I can't trust you if you don't tell me anything."

"Ema, please, just believe me that I-"

"That's just it, Klavier!" She interrupted. "How am I supposed to do that with you hiding everything from me?"

"Ema, everything I'm doing, I do it only for you."

"That doesn't make sense, Klavier, what in the world do you-"

Apollo couldn't take any more. "Please, just stop!" He shouted. Ema and Klavier turned towards him, wide-eyed and confused.

"Herr Justice?" Klavier asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Wright invited me here to look after you and Ema." Apollo sighed. "But I didn't expect anything like this. What happened out there?"

"Who are you?" Ema asked sharply as she grabbed a tissue out of her purse, dabbing her eyes. "And why does our relationship matter so much to you?"

"Don't worry," Klavier assured her. "He is a…an acquaintance of mine."

"Oh, there goes another one of your shifty 'acquaintances', hm?"

"Shifty?" Apollo thought, but decided not to ask her what she saw in him that was shifty.

"Please, Ema, you have to trust me."

"I can't, Klavier. There's just too much I know you're hiding from me, and I can't…" Ema's hand trembled as she bought the tissue to her eyes to dab at new tears. "And you're scaring me, Klavier. What secret do you have that's so terrible that you have to hide it from me?"

The rock star bit his lips, his eyes a full of worry.

"Maybe…maybe this relationship isn't right, Klavier. I always wondered what it was that had drawn you to me, and why you wanted to be with me. I was never famous or anything, before I met you. I was just a…a forensic scientist, and we only happened to meet because of a murder that occurred during one of your concerts." Ema sniffled, and smiled sadly. "By all reason, you shouldn't have even given me a second glance. But I remember you were staring at me, and I remember how much I hated that. 'He's ogling me like I'm one of his desperate groupies.' I thought at first. Now I think maybe I wasn't so far from the truth."

"Ema, no." Klavier objected, as he crouched down on the curb next to her.

She continued. "And despite all reason, when you came up and talked to me I thought my heart was going to stop. I told myself I would never fall head over heels for you like every other girl, but it happened anyway. I thought…I had thought…" Ema's voice broke as she choked out at sob. "Maybe I was different…" She blurted out. "Maybe he loved me, and wasn't flinging me around like he did to some of the other girls. Maybe I'm not just a publicity stunt. Maybe this is the real thing. But I was wrong."

"Ema, you are very wrong. You are nothing like those girls. Everything about you is special, unique…and… I love you Ema, and only you, and have since I first had the pleasure of knowing you."

"Then prove it." Apollo suggested.

Klavier turned his face away from Ema to his. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Mr. Gavin. Prove it."

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean." Apollo said sternly, crossing his arms. "What has she been asking from you this entire time?"

Klavier hesitated. "The truth."

"Then tell her. Look, there's nothing to be gained from hiding anything from her anymore. A relationship can't survive on lies and hidden secrets. You said you love her, right?"

"With all my heart." Klavier swore.

"And Ema?" Apollo asked. You love Klavier too?"

Ema nodded "I do."

"Then Klavier, you should be able tell Ema anything. She's the love of your life, and took the same vows you did. She's with you, for better or for worse, so you can't be afraid to tell her anyting. And Ema, that means you have to accept Klavier, and no matter what he tells you, you can't jump to conclusions. You have to help him, no matter what he's going through. He needs to know that you're going to be there by his side, no matter what."

"You're right, Herr Justice." Klavier admitted. "You're absolutely right." Klavier turned back to Ema, and gently took her hand in his own.

"Ema, I need to tell you...about my brother.

A/N: Sorry for the delay on this guys; I suffer from a terrible condition called procrastination. ^_^''


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N 2: This chapter was re-uploaded because of a couple of errors.**_

"Your brother?" Ema asked, surprised.

"I've never mentioned him before," Klavier confessed. "But he is, in a way, the cause of all this."

"I don't understand..." Ema confessed, her hands trembling.

"Then I will explain. I will finally explain, mein liebe." Klavier took a deep breath, then looked towards Apollo. Once Apollo had given him a nod of encouragement, he turned back towards Ema.

"My brother's name is Kristoph-he is my older brother, and he's a lawyer-not here, but in Germany."

Ema opened her mouth to interject, but Apollo shook his head and held up a finger to his lips. "Listen." He mouthed. Ema took in a deep breath, then refocused her attention on Klavier.

"I know it is sounds confusing, but I promise I will make everything clear." Klavier reassured. "My brother-Kristoph- was a famous lawyer, much like Herr Wright. He's truly gifted, and able to best any prosecutor who challenged him in court. Despite his talents, my brother also has," Klavier paused, looking for the right word "He also has some...troubling issues as well.

"Despite my brother's involvement with the law, he was a murderer. It turns out my brother dealt with any rivals or unsavory witnesses by taking them permanently out of the picture-and he had an impressive head count when he was arrested. The thing is, he never would have been thrown in jail if it weren't for me.

"I was the first one to notice that certain lawyers and witnesses were ' disappearing.' They were mostly prosecutors that had bested my brother in court, or witnesses that had blew his cases. I knew it had something to do with my brother. Call it sibling intuition, ja?" Klavier explained, with a rueful smile.

"Even though I was just a rock and roll obsessed teen with a minimal interest in law, I led an investigation of my own. But my brother was smart and meticulous, and the evidence was hard to find. I won't go into much detail, but once I found a large amount of...disturbing evidence, I struggled for weeks about whether to go to the police or not.

"I was afraid, mein leibe." Klavier said, staring intently into Ema's eyes. Apollo knew that it was the two of them now, in their own world, but he couldn't help but stay regardless.

"My parents had died only a few years before all it had started. Part of me wondered, maybe that was the reason Kristoph had snapped? He seemed so well put together; he managed to take care of both of us for a long time while balancing his career, but maybe...maybe it was too much for him.

"I decided I had do what was right, now matter how much I cared for my brother. His trial lasted two months, my brother fought with everything in him the guilty verdict, but to no avail. Kristoph was sentenced to life in prison.

"I remember, I was spoke to my brother one last time before they locked him away. His eyes had turned so cold, and he was so pale and drawn, like a ghost. I wanted...I wanted to apologize. I don't know why, but I felt I had to tell him that I was sorry. He just stared at me, with those hard, cold eyes, and then he spoke to me for one last time.

"'When I get out of this place, I will make sure to destroy everything you hold dear, as you have destroyed me.'

"I was scared, Ema. Terrified, even. It was a long time I pushed his words to the back of my mind, and tried to live a normal life. I moved to the US, and decided to pursue my career in law, as a prosecutor. I wanted to be everything my brother wasn't. But It wasn't until I met Redd White that I learned that Kristoph's word's might have been a veiled promise.

"I met him for the first time at a party a couple of months ago. Actually Ema, you were there, and I had gone to look for you. Do you remember?"

Ema closed her eyes, replaying the memory in her head. "I think so." She replied. "But I've never met him."

"Good." Klavier replied. "He had mentioned my brother's name while speaking to another..associate of his. I had to know. Despite every instinct telling me not to do it, I went over and demanded to know what exactly he knew about my brother. I remember he paused, looked me up and down, and smiled. And I realized I was trapped.

"Mr. White did indeed know much about my brother-and he assured me that knowledge would come at a hefty sum. He originally asked for over 250,000 dollars for each time he gave me any information."

Ema couldn't help but gasp. With a ridiculous request like that, it would be no time before the they would have descended into debt. "Did he think you'd agree to that?" Ema asked.

"I'm not sure," Klavier replied. "But I know he is a cunning man. No matter how much I bargained, the verdammt swindler would not lower his price. I was in a rut, Ema, you see? I had to find out about Kristoph, but I couldn't hand over all that money without you noticing, and ruining us. So I..."

Klavier paused, and stared intently into Ema's eyes. "This is where...April May comes in."

"After meeting with Redd White a few times, I could tell that he and Ms. May had a...complex relationship. And I decided to take advantage of it. I won't lie to you Ema-I wanted April May to like me; I needed her so I could get into Mr. White's good graces.

"I only meant for us to be friends, however. So she could put in a good word for me, and convince Redd White to lower his prices for his information. But it didn't take long before I noticed her behavior had changed...and I knew she wanted more than friendship.

"So I...I indulged. I flirted with her, just a little- a smile here, a wink there, and each time I felt ashamed. I felt like I had gone back to my old lifestyle, even though I had taken vows with you..." Klavier paused to pull Ema in a little closer, and she obliged, dreading the next thing he would say.

"Did..." Ema paused. "Did you two...?"

"No, no, not ever." Klavier finished. "But April May is under the impression that we did."

"What do you mean by that?" Ema asked.

Klavier took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "It was after another social. April May had too much to drink, and as usual tried to force herself on me...and she was insistent. She begged me to go back to her place, and was angry when I refused. So she slapped me, and walked off with another guy, all while Redd White wore the smug smile on his face. When I met them again, April was so sure that it was me that she slept with me-she was so drunk she misremembered the entire night; she didn't even remember hitting me. It didn't matter how much I argued with her, she wouldn't let it go. And it wasn't long till Redd White began to play along with her delusions.

"When she left, Redd White proposed his new price to me and, to my surprise, it was much lower; it would barely even touch our income. When I asked him why, he shrugged his shoulders and said that the dirt he has on me is...is priceless. If I ever refused to pay him, or was late on a payment, he would use April's lie against me and release her tale to the public. It would ruin me, Ema...and it would ruin us."

Klavier paused and raked his hand through his hair. "I was trapped, Ema. I continued to pay him, but only got a minimal amount of information. He said the smaller the price, the smaller increments of information. All I know is that my brother mangled to use his legal pull to get an early release from prison, and now he's working his way to the US, possibly to get to me. And at the same time I had to continue to appease April May; I was afraid if I rejected her, she would go to the public anyway. When you caught April and I dancing that night, I was trying my best to keep her happy, just so she wouldn't say anything. But that doesn't excuse what I've done to you-I've failed to keep you happy, the most important woman in my life.

"I'm sorry, Ema. I'm sorry for deceiving you, and hurting you, and...and scaring you. I was so upset when you accused me of cheating, but I realize how foolish that was. I was so blind, so stupid. I thought I could protect you by hiding everything, but I realize now I only made you suffer.

Ema was quiet for a long time, soaking in every word he said. Tears flowed freely from her eyes.

"Klavier," she whispered, at a loss for words. There was a long silence before Ema finally spoke up again. "I..."

"Deep down, I knew I should have told you. " He interrupted. "But I was afraid...I was afraid that if I told you about Kristoph's...mental instability, you would be afraid of me, that you would think insanity runs in the Gavin genes. Especially after...I lost my temper. To be honest, I was unsure myself if…"

Ema didn't wait for him to finish, she turned, and wrapped her arms around him.

"I forgive you," She said hurriedly, "And I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have been so quick to leave, and to judge-"

"Ema, please." Klavier interjected gently. "Don't apologize. You were just a victim of my stupidity, nothing more. I should have told you."

"And I should have been more willing to listen." Ema replied.

Klavier smiled, then pulled Ema in for a kiss. Apollo took that as his cue to leave. Before he could though, Klavier spoke up.

"Thank you, Herr Justice." He said.

Apollo eyes widened, startled. "Y-you're welcome."

"If it wasn't for you, well involving yourself with us, I don't think Ema and I would have ever come to an understanding, ja?"

Apollo's face flushed. "I guess you're right, Mr. Gavin." Though I didn't exactly involve myself. It was Mr Wright, he thought.

Klavier stood up from the curb, and helped Ema to her feet. Ema sniffed, then said to Apollo, "He's right, you know I don't know you very well, but...thanks, Mr. Justice. It means a lot to me that you were there to help Klavier."

Apollo blushed, then cleared his throat. "What are you guys going to do now?" He asked.

This time Ema smiled, and it was a welcome sight to Klavier's eyes. "I'd really like to go home, go to sleep, and try to put all of this behind us." She confessed tiredly.

"Sounds like a plan, mein leibe." Klavier agreed.

Apollo couldn't help but give a smile. "I think I'm gonna go, too." He said. "I have some business to discuss with Mr. Wright."

"I didn't know that you a friend of Mr. Wright!" Ema announced. "Could you tell him I'm leaving?"

He nodded. "Sure thing."

With that, Klavier put his arm around Ema's shoulder. They walked off, and Apollo continued in the cool night air. He took in a deep breath, then let out a huge sigh. He looked up at the hotel, and idly watched the glowing letters advertising the name 'Gatewater Hotel' for a few moments. He was just about to head back inside when none other than Phoenix Wright stepped out, a self-assured smile on his face.

"Where's Klavier and Ema?" Phoenix asked, though Apollo had a feeling he already knew.

"They worked it out, thankfully, so they left. They both looked tired."

"I bet. So, Justice, everything went well?

Apollo rubbed the bracelet on his wrist. "As well as expected."

Phoenix nodded. "I knew you could do it, Justice."

"Me?" Apollo asked, pointing to himself. "I hardly did anything. I just told Klavier to fess up, that's all"

"But it was you who told him. And he trusted you enough to listen."

"He would've listened to you too."

"I doubt that. We've never been particularly close. " Phoenix explained.

There was a brief silence before the ex-attorney spoke again. "So, what was it that Klavier had to fess up?"

Apollo reiterated everything to him; about Redd White, April May, and most importantly Kristoph Gavin.

Phoenix listened intently, then sighed when Apollo finished. "Kristoph Gavin, huh? I've heard the name before, from a friend of mine in Germany. He was a good lawyer, apparently, and then he snapped and started killing witnesses and prosecutors." Phoenix shook his head, disgusted. "It makes me sick. As a lawyer, you're supposed to uphold the law and seek the truth. The minute you start thinking of court cases as a competition, you stop looking for the truth, and instead for satisfaction and piles of money. And that's were the corruption starts."

Apollo listened in stunned silence. "Mr. Wright-" he started, but Phoenix cut him off.

"That's enough about that, though. I want to ask you something." Phoenix smiled. "Do you think you can write that next book now?"

The question took Apollo off guard. For a while he just blinked at Mr. Wright, wondering if he had heard him right. When the question finally set in, Apollo laughed.

He hadn't meant to, but the question seemed so mundane in comparison to everything that had happened. And Mr. Wright had looked so serious when he asked!

"You're serious?" Apollo asked when he finally pulled himself together.

"Of course I am."

Apollo hesitated. "Well, I don't really know."

Phoenix rubbed the scruff on his chin. "Why do you think you couldn't write it before?"

Apollo shrugged "I don't know. I guess I just wasn't...inspired, at the time"

"And why not?"

"I just couldn't write anything."

"Why is that?"

Apollo bristled. He hated when Mr. Wright needled him like this. "I didn't have anything to write about!" Apollo admitted, ashamed.

"Nothing to write about?"

Apollo sighed. "It's just...while I was writing my new novel, I realized something was missing. My main character's relationship just felt...fake. Like something wasn't there. I realized I couldn't publish a book with no substance."

Phoenix crossed his arms. "What do you mean by fake?"

"They just seemed...too perfect, I guess. Every conflict they had resolved to soon, and I just couldn't get it to work. Sometimes I tried to base their relationship on Vera and me, but it just wasn't working." Apollo didn't look at Phoenix during his confession. When he finally locked eyes with him, he had only one question. "But why do you care, Mr. Wright? Is this really the issue here?"

"In fact, Justice, it is. Remember what I promised you before this started? I said this would help the Gavins, but I said it would help you too."

"I still don't see..."

"Think about it. I know you're a romance novelist, but didn't you learn something about relationships during this whole thing? Something that can maybe add to your book?"

Apollo scratched his head. "Maybe..." he reflected. Suddenly he laughed. "Maybe I _should _model my next conflict from Ema and Klavier. You know, something like a rich couple, a shady businessman and a socialite, and he's holding a dark secret from his wife, and the story is about the pursuit of honesty and how it defines a relationship-" Apollo stopped, his eyes widening.

Phoenix merely arched his eyebrows and smirked.

"Oh my God." Apollo exclaimed.

"Would you look at that," Phoenix replied. "That seems like an interesting premise for a romance novel. I'm not in to them, normally, but maybe if I saw something like that in the store..."

When Apollo didn't reply, Phoenix spoke up. "I enjoyed doing business with you, Justice. I think you did a great job. And hey, if you need anything," Phoenix reached into his pocket, and handed him another card for his Anything Agency. "You know where to find me."

Phoenix turned, but before he could leave Apollo asked, "You're not staying?"

Phoenix shrugged. "Nah, balls like this aren't of scene. And I'm getting the feeling their not yours either."

"Yeah," Apollo admitted. "I'm gonna go too," he smiled. "Maybe write a few chapters when I get home."

Phoenix nodded. "See you around, Justice. I hope I see that new book of yours soon too.

Apollo watched as Mr. Wright finally walked away, down the street to his office. When he far enough away, Apollo muttered to himself.

"Thanks, Mr. Wright. I owe you one."

**_A/N: FINALLY. This chapter was so hard for me to write. Part of it was because of school, but then once summer started I just started procrastinating even more. Then after I finally wrote it down, I was really nitpicking over the editing (I wanted this chapter to be very good since it's the second to last chapter) I'm still not satisfied with this chapter tho, but oh well :c I think, sadly, I've lost a little interest in this story, since I've been laboring over it for so long. (No way this should have taken me a total of 3 years!) I'll be posting the Epilogue soon (in less than four months, hopefully). Hope you enjoyed!_**


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